The University of Sioux Falls men's golf team erased nine strokes off their first round score to card a 654 and place fourth at the Drury University Invitational held Monday and Tuesday. Seniors Levi Smith and Jordan Mueller each finished in the top-10 among a total of eight teams in the field.
Lindenwood held on to their first round lead to claim a team win with a score of 629, while host Drury cared a 646 to finish second overall. Rockhurst grabbed third with a 646 for the weekend.
Smith matched his season average with a 77 Tuesday to score an 80-77=157 and lead all Cougars to tie for sixth overall. Mueller took 11 strokes off his first round score to tally 85-74=159 and finish tied for ninth place.
USF's three through five spots also finished in the top 30 of the individual standings. Atkins moved several spots up, finishing 19th (85-83=167), while Andrew Nelson (87-86=173) and Jon Van't Hul (85-88=173) finished in a four-way tie for 23rd overall.
Nick Gottsleben, Brennan Thompson and Zach Pruner each competed as individuals. Gottsleben tied for 35th (90-88=178), as Thompson wasn't far behind in 38th at 93-90=183 for the weekend.
Pruner placed 42nd with a 94-101=195 for the two-day tournament.
USF returns to the course March 22, when they host their Spring Invitational at Elmwood Golf Course.
