BLUE DRAGONS GRIND IN OPENING ROUND, 4TH AT NJCAA AFTER 1 ROUND

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

NEWTON – With sustained southerly winds around 25 mph on Tuesday, the No. 7-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's golf team battled back from a tough start to be in the Top 5 of the NJCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship after Round 1.

Led by Region 6 Tournament champion Hugo Duquaine, the Blue Dragons grinded to a team score of 13-over 301 in the opening round at Sand Creek Station and is eight strokes off the pace of team leader Indian Hills.

The Warriors shot a 282 on Tuesday. Odessa and Central Alabama shot 300s to tie for second, followed by the Blue Dragons, who are bidding for their sixth-straight national tournament Top 10 finish.

Round 2 for the Blue Dragons begins on Wednesday with tee times from 10:50 to 11:30 a.m. Hutchinson will again be paired with Eastern Florida State and Tyler Junior College.

BLUE DRAGON MEN'S GOLF
NJCAA Division I Men's National Tournament
When: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Where: Sand Creek Station, Newton, KS
Round: 2 of 4
Tee Times: 10:50 to 11:30 a.m. (Hole 1)
Live Scoring: Clippd

The Blue Dragons were 9-over par after five holes, 10-over par at the turn and a collective 14-over par after the treacherous 610-yard par-5 10th hole, which played directly into the wind on Tuesday.

But historically, the Blue Dragons play the back nine at Sand Creek Station very well.

Duquaine recorded birdies on holes 11, 12, 14 and 16 to recover from a 4-over front nine to finish at even-par 72. Led by Duquaine, the Blue Dragons played the final eight holes in 1-under par and climbed from a low of a tie for 14th place all the way up to a tie for third before settling for fourth place after 18 holes.

Duquaine is tied with three others at 72, which is only one stroke off the pace of a four-way tie for first – Ken Gao of Odessa, Harry McArdle of Indian Hills, Noah Sandlin of Tyler and Ty Potter of Iowa Western, all who carded 71s in the opening round.

Northgraves, the 2026 Jayhawk Conference champion, is tied for 15th after Round 1 after shooting a 74 on Tuesday. Northgraves had three birdies and five bogies.

Scullion is tied for 34th after a round of 77. Hatzenbuehler is tied for 43rd after a 78. Vearncombe is tied for 55th after a 79 on Tuesday.

Blue Dragon tee times for Wednesday's second round off Hole No. 1 are Vearncombe at 10:50 a.m., Hatzenbuehler at 11 a.m., Duquaine at 11:10 a.m., Northgraves at 11:20 a.m. and Scullion at 11:30 a.m.