HUTCHINSON, Kan. -
Fueled by its
second-lowest round of the year, the Drake men's golf team charged into a tie
for third place carding a 36-hole total of 595 (303-292=595) at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Monday (April 30)
at the Prairie Dunes Country Club.
Freshmen Dane Worley (Cedar
Rapids, Iowa) and Blake Huser (Altoona, Iowa) helped ignite the Bulldogs' attack in the
second round shooting 72 and 75, respectively, to jump Drake from a tie for
seventh after the initial 18 holes to a tie for third when the second round was
complete.
After registering a
303 score in the opening round, the Bulldogs carded a 292 over the day's final
18 holes, as four Drake players posted scores of 75 or better.
"It was a great team
effort today, as Dane (Worley) and Blake (Huser) are tied for 11th, while Ben
(Lyons) is tied for 14th place," Drake head coach Matt Lewis commented. "We had a great second round shooting a
292, which allowed us to move up and put ourselves in a position to make a move tomorrow."
"Our opening round
was somewhat deceiving as we were about six holes away from playing a really
solid round. We got off to a terrific
start and played well for 9-12 holes before giving a lot back on the final 5-6
holes."
Worley (76-72=148)
and Huser (73-75=148) are tied for 11th place, while one shot off the pace is
junior Ben Lyons
(Centennial, Colo.), who posted rounds of 76 and 73 to tie for 14th place with
a 149 (76-73=149) total. Lyons'
second-round 73 equaled his low score of the year set at the Jackrabbit
Invitational.
"Ben (Lyons) stepped
up after not playing for a few weeks and had a great two rounds, which was
huge," said Lewis. "It was
definitely a team effort, which is what it takes, and we're looking for the
same tomorrow. We played in almost
perfect conditions today and we're supposed to have decent weather tomorrow,
although windy, so it'll be a good challenge and we have to be mentally tough
to fight through and I think the guys are ready."
Redshirt freshman Devin Leland (Huxley,
Iowa) followed an opening-round 80 with a 72 for a 152
total, good for a 22nd-place tie.
Sophomore Connor Steele (Cedar
Rapids, Iowa) carded a 36-hole score of 161 (78-83=161) to tie for 43rd.
The Bulldogs conclude
their regular season with the final 18 holes of the State Farm MVC Championship
on Tuesday (May 1). A shotgun
start is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.
DRAKE INDIVIDUAL
RESULTS: Dane Worley
148 (76-72=148/T-11th), Blake Huser 148 (73-75=148/T-11th), Ben Lyons 149 (76-73=149/T-14th), Devin Leland 152 (80-72=152/T-22nd) and
Connor Steele 161
(78-83=161/T-43rd).
STATE FARM MVC
CHAMPIONSHIP
APRIL 30, 2012 •
36 HOLES
PRAIRIE DUNES
COUNTRY CLUB (HUTCHINSON, KAN.)
1) Wichita State 581 (288-293=581)
2) Evansville 594 (294-300=594)
3) Drake 595 (303-292=595)
Northern Iowa 595 (303-292=595)
5) Creighton 598 (293-305=598)
6) Missouri State 599 (300-299=599)
7) Illinois State 600 (299-301=600)
8) Southern Illinois 609 (297-312=609)
9) Bradley 621 (309-312=621)
