Stags Dodge Raindrops, Complete Day One at NCAAs
GREENSBORO, N.C. – In a First Round shortened by rain for a large portion of the field, the No. 9 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's golf team opened the 2018 NCAA Division III National Championship with a 17-over, 305. The Stags currently sit in 29th place with 14 of the teams in front of them still on the course after a suspended opening round. Just over half of the field finished all 18 holes in the First Round. The 18 teams still on the course will pick-up where they left off at 8:00 a.m. ET with the Second Round slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. ET in a shotgun format.
There are two courses in play this week with the East and West Courses at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C. Playing the tougher par-72, 7,150-yard East Course, all five of the Stags in action on Tuesday made at least two birdies. As a team, CMS made 13 birdies but also put a few big numbers on the card. Jonathan Shaw (CMC) led the way for CMS with a one-over, 73 on Tuesday with Alex Wrenn (CMC) right on his heels with a two-over, 74. Austin Long (CMC) also turned in a round in the 70s with a four-over, 76 after identical nines of 38 (+2).
Matt Shuman (CMC) and Johnny Brandt (CMC) both made a pair of birdies in the opening round, but turned in rounds of 82 (+10) and 83 (+11), respectively.
Shaw started out his day with four-straight pars before making two birdies and three bogies in the final five holes of the front nine to shoot a one-over, 37 on his first nine of the Tournament. Another birdie on the 11th hole got Shaw back to even par before a late bogey on the par-three, 16th hole ended his round at one-over. Shaw is currently tied for 32nd in the 217-golfer field.
Alex Wrenn's round started off a bit rocky on Tuesday. The senior made four bogies on the front nine and went out in 40 strokes (+4), but a strong back nine that featured three birdies got Wrenn to two-over par on the day. Wrenn's 74 has him tied in 43rd after Day One.
After a bogey and a double on the second and third holes, Austin Long made back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh holes to get back to even on the day. Long played his final 11 holes of the opening round at four-over to finish the day with a 76 (+4).
Matt Shuman got off to the best start of any Stag on the course on Tuesday with a par and two birdies to go two under through three holes. Three doubles and a triple during a nine-hole stretch in the middle of the round moved Shuman to eight-over on the round. A couple of late bogies ended Shuman with a 10-over, 82 on the day.
Just a stroke behind Shuman, Johnny Brandt ended the day with an 11-over, 83. Brandt did put a pair of birdies on the card with a two on the par-three third and a three on the par-four seventh.
With thunderstorms in the forecast for the rest of the week, CMS is scheduled to continue the National Championships with the Second Round of the Tournament beginning tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.