FORT COLLINS, Colo. - It was a tale of two rounds for the Drake men's golf
team as the Bulldogs bounced back from an opening-round 308 to post a 288 over
the final 18 holes to stand 11th among 15 teams at the Ram Master Invitational
hosted by Colorado State on Monday (Sept. 17) at the Fort Collins Country Club.
Drake's second-round 288 represented the lowest team score
for the Bulldogs under second-year head coach Matt Lewis, while also marking the
fourth-lowest team total during the tournament's second round.
"In perfect conditions all day, we struggled in the
first round as we just had a bad round as a team," Lewis commented. "I didn't say much to the team between
rounds with the quick turnaround, but they bounced back to get us back into the
middle of the pack with a strong second round. The biggest thing was that all
five guys were competing, fighting and clawing for every stroke."
Redshirt sophomore Devin Leland (Huxley, Iowa) led the charge for
the Bulldogs registering scores of 72 and 70 to stand tied for fourth with a
36-hole total of 142.
"Devin (Leland) was solid in both rounds for us as he was
extremely focused and in a great zone all day," said Lewis.
Sophomore Blake Huser (Altoona, Iowa) turned in a 78 in the morning
session before carding a career-low 71 over the final 18 holes to tie for 36th
place with a 149 (78-71) score.
"Blake (Huser) really struggled with his driver in the first
round to find the fairway, but he made some putts to close the first round
strong," Lewis explained. "He did a great job in the second round playing with
confidence, which was huge."
Junior Connor Steele (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) was nearly as impressive as a
second-round 72 fueled a 36-hole total of 152 (80-72).
Rounding out Drake's contingent were junior Matt Ohl (Milford, Iowa) and freshman Will McDonald (Tulsa,
Okla.) with scores of 155 (78-77=155/T-70th) and 160 (85-75=160/T-80th),
respectively.
"The guys are feeling confident and happy about their second
round and hopefully we can put together another solid round tomorrow and turn
in a strong finish," Lewis stated.
The Bulldogs close out their stay at the Ram Master
Invitational with a 9:00 a.m. CT shotgun start on Tuesday (Sept. 18).
DRAKE RESULTS: Devin Leland
(72-70=142/T-4th), Blake Huser (78-71=149/T-36th), Connor Steele
(80-72=152/T-52nd), Matt Ohl (78-77=155/T-70th) and Will McDonald
(85-75=160/T-80th).
RAM MASTER INVITATIONAL
SEPT. 17, 2012 • 36 HOLES
FORT COLLINS COUNTRY CLUB (FORT COLLINS, COLO.)
1) Nevada 566 (282-284=566)
2) Wichita State 571 (285-286=571)
3) Colorado State 572 (287-285=572)
4) Denver 579 (287-292=579)
5) Weber State 581 (290-291=581)
6) Mercer 583 (293-290=583)
7) Northern Colorado 591 (298-293=591)
8) Wyoming 593 (289-304=593)
DePaul 593 (301-292=593)
10) Boise State 595 (301-294=595)
11) Drake 596 (308-288=596)
12) Air Force 599 (300-299=599)
13) Southern Utah 600 (301-299=600)
14) Illinois State 611 (306-305=611)
15) Northern Iowa 616 (305-311=616)
