PHOENIX, Ariz. – Opening the day tied for fourth place and falling as low as ninth in the second round, the NIU men's golf team rallied to finish the first day of the Grand Canyon Invitational in seventh place with a team score of 574 (+6).
"Overall, we're pleased with the way we finished the 36 hole day after a rough start to the second round," said Director of Golf
Tom Porten. "Jordan and Thomas were solid all-day long but Charlie struggled with the driver this afternoon and Sal's short game was unusually inconsistent."
Northern Illinois University shot a 285 in the first round as
Charlie Cameron shot a 69 (-2) to pace the Huskies, followed by
Thomas DeMarco's even par 71. As a team, NIU carded 15 birdies in the first 18 holes as Cameron,
Matt Cholod and
Jordan Less all tallied four.
The Huskies 15 birdies in the second round proved vital in the team's rally above the middle of the 16-team pack as Less led with five in the final 18 holes of the day, leading NIU with a 70 as he shot -1 on the back nine. In his last five rounds of play, Less has shot -4 for the Huskies and has shot a combined +3 in his rounds over par in that stretch.
NIU will open the final round of play at 10 a.m. Central tomorrow morning, entering just four strokes back from the No. 5 spot in the field.
TEAM RESULTS: 1. No. 21 Duke (A) – 287-269=556 (-12); 2. Eastern Michigan – 285-274=559 (-9); t3. Grand Canyon – 279-283=562 (-6); t3. Loyola Marymount – 276-286=562 (-6); 5. Indiana – 288-282=570 (+2); 6. Utah Valley – 290-282=572 (+4); 7. NIU – 285-289=574 (+6); t8. Wichita State – 287-288=575 (+7); t8. Columbia (B) – 284-291=575 (+7); 10. No. 21 Duke (B) – 284-291=580 (+10); 11. UMKC – 286-295=581 (+13); 12. Columbia (A) – 287-295=582 (+14); 13. Southern Utah – 291-296=587 (+19); 14. South Dakota – 296-295=591 (+23); 15. Cal State Bakersfield – 201-294=595 (+27); 16. Omaha – 303-302=605 (+37)
TOP-10 INDIVIDUALS: t1. Billy Comeaux (GCU) – 67-68=135 (-7); t1. Jared Multer (EMU) – 69-66=135 (-7); 3. Jack Sparrow* (IU) – 67-69=136 (-6); t4. Riley Elmes (LMU) – 67-70=137 (-5); t4. Alexander Matlari (Duke) – 74-63=137 (-5); t6. J.T. Timmons (UVU) – 68-70=138 (-4); t6. Alex Smalley (Duke) – 69-69=138 (-4); t6. Jeremy Perna (CU) – 69-69=138 (-4); t6. Beau Breault (EMU) – 72-66=138 (-4)
NIU RESULTS: t21.
Thomas DeMarco – 71-71=142 (E); t21.
Jordan Less – 72-70=142 (E); t34.
Charlie Cameron – 69-75=144 (+2); t46.
Matt Cholod – 73-73=146 (+4); t78.
Salvador Rocha – 75-77=152 (+10)
