WHAT'S AHEAD
In its final tournament before next week's Missouri Valley Conference Championship (April 29-30), Drake visits West Lafayette, Ind., to participate in the Boilermaker Invitational hosted by Purdue University this Saturday (April 20) and Sunday (April 21).

The 54-hole tournament will be played at Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. A shotgun start begins play each day at 7:45 a.m. CT.

The 18-team field includes:  Akron, Chicago State, Cleveland State, Creighton, Drake, Eastern Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kent State, Louisville, Loyola, Miami University, Michigan State, Northern Illinois, Purdue, Toledo and Wichita State.

A LOOK BACK
In a battle among MVC rivals, it was Creighton that bested Drake in a men's golf dual match on Tuesday (April 16) at the Wakonda Club.

Six players for each squad hit the links with the lowest-four scores counting towards determining the team champion, which was won by the Bluejays, 299-318.

Sophomore Dane Worley (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) posted the Bulldogs' low round of the match firing a 76.  Also finishing with a score in the 70's was freshman Will McDonald (Tulsa, Okla.), who carded a 79.

Rounding out Drake's efforts versus Creighton were junior Connor Steele (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), redshirt sophomore Devin Leland (Huxley, Iowa), junior Matt Ohl (Milford, Iowa) and senior Ben Lyons (Centennial, Colo.) with scores of 81, 82, 83 and 86, respectively.

All four of the Bluejays' counting scores were in the 70's, led by Ben Lowman, who recorded a match-low 72.

DRAKE RESULTS: Dane Worley (76), Will McDonald (79), Connor Steele (81), Devin Leland (82), Matt Ohl (83) and Ben Lyons (86).

A YEAR AGO
Dane Worley posted a final-round 74 to spearhead Drake's efforts on the final day of the Boilermaker Invitational on April 22, 2012 on Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind.

The Bulldogs registered a team total of 315 over the final 18 holes to finish with a 54-hole score of 959 (322-322-315=959), to tie Loyola for 16th place.

Worley was +4 through the first four holes of his final round before playing the final 14 holes at -2, including an eagle on the par-4 seventh hole.  He finished with a 242-tournament total to place 77th.

Devin Leland was the Bulldogs' top finisher posting a final-round 77 for a 240 total, good for a 70th-place tie.

Blake Huser (Altoona, Iowa) and Connor Steele carded identical 54-hole scores of 241 to tie for 74th.

Matt Ohl rounded out Drake's efforts registering a score of 249 (82-86-85=249/T-87th).

DRAKE RESULTS: Devin Leland 240 (82-81-77=240/T-70th), Blake Huser 241 (76-82-83=241/T-74th), Connor Steele 160 (82-78-81=241/T-74th), Dane Worley 242 (83-81=164-74=242/77th) and Matt Ohl 249 (82-86-85=249/87th).

DRAKE HEAD COACH MATT LEWIS
Matt Lewis is in his second season leading the Drake's men's golf program after being named head coach on July 26, 2011.

In his first campaign directing the Bulldogs, Drake turned in top-10 finishes in six tournaments and was led by Devin Leland and Blake Huser, who posted scoring averages of 76.3 and 76.8, respectively.

In a finish where only eight strokes separated the third- to eighth-place finishers, Drake earned a seventh-place showing at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship on the strength of a 910 (303-292-315) score.

Huser tied for 12th at the State Farm MVC Championship.  Also earning tournament flags for top-18 finishes were Ben Lyons and Dane Worley, who tied for 18th place.

UP NEXT
Drake travels to Cape Girardeau, Mo., to compete at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship (April 29-30).