KANSAS CITY, MO. – Led by sophomore
Gavin Metz, who is tied for eighth overall, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Golf Team is fifth in the team standings after the first round of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Men's Championships, which opened today in wet and cold conditions at Shoal Creek Golf Club.
The Cougars, which have three golfers in the top-18, had a team score of 25-over par 309 and trail the leader Winona State by eight shots as 18 holes (one of three rounds) of 54 holes have been played. USF, which was ranked seventh in the NCAA DII Central Region rankings earlier today, sit just four shots out of second. Three teams are tied for second at 305 including Bemidji State, Minnesota State, Mankato and Upper Iowa.
The second 18-holes of the NSIC Championship will begin on Saturday morning with tee-time starts at 9 a.m. The third and final round will be a 9 a.m. shotgun start on Sunday.
Metz opened the NSIC Championships with a solid performance as he is four-over par 75 (36-39). He had 11 pars plus birdies on the par three, 214-yard 11
th hole and the par five, 527-yard 13
th hole.
Senior
Jacob Zosel opened the tournament tied for 14th with a 76 (38-38). Zosel had nine pars and birdies on the par four, 364-yard sixth hold and the par five, 579-yard seventh hole.
Senior
Brenden Bassing opened at 77 (38-39) and is six-over par and tied for 18
th. He carded 11 pars and a birdies on the par five, 527-yard 13
th hole.
Senior
JJ Cooney and junior
Jack Evans both finished the day tied for 35
th with opening rounds of 10-over par 81. Cooney (41-40) had nine pars in his round. Evans (43-38) had 10 pars along with a pair of birdies including the par three, 195-yard third hole and the par four, 364-yard sixth hole.
The top five golfers will be named NSIC All-Tournament, while the team champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional, which will be played at Shoal Creek Golf Club, and hosted by William Jewell College and the Kansas City Sports Commission on May 6-8. The NCAA Championships will be played May 17-21 at the PGA National Resort, The Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida with Palm Beach Atlantic University and Palm Beach County Sports Commission serving as hosts.
