Oct. 30, 2006
PEORIA, Ill. -
Senior Matt Miller finished the first day of competition at the top of the individual standings, leading the Illinois State men's golf team to a first place finish after the first day of the Bradley Fall Classic, Monday in Peoria, Ill. Miller finished day one with a score of one-under-par 71 and has a one shot lead heading into the final day of the 36-hole tournament.
As a team, the Redbirds finished with an 18-hole team score of 291, leading second place Bradley (303) by 12 shots at the WeaverRidge Golf Club in Peoria. Creighton finished day one in third place (304), while 12 shots also separated the Bluejays from fourth place Wisconsin-Green Bay (316). Chicago State ended the day in fifth place with a total of 319.
Head coach Ray Kralis was pleased with where the team finished in the standings after the first day, but believes that the team still needs to play well to retain the lead.
"Obviously we are sitting in a pretty good spot after a nice team effort today," said Kralis. "We battled tough conditions with strong, swirling winds. We played some spectacular golf at times, however, we gave some shots back at times as well. We let a few slip away that would have been nice to have from a team perspective.
"That's why you play them all in this game because it isn't over till its over," added Kralis. "Even though we are sitting in a good spot heading into tomorrow, we have to back it up and we can't get ahead of ourselves. There's still some golf to be played. But I certainly like our position and we have a strong group coming back tomorrow."
Freshman Drew Miller finished tied for third place with teammate Tommy Bliefnick with a score of one-over-par 73. Sophomore Joe Emerich (T-7th) finished with a score of two-over-par 74, while sophomore Ben Murphy finished the day tied for 17th with a score of 80.
Competing as individuals, senior Ryan Brown finished tied for 13th with teammate Matt Ryba, shooting an 18-hole score of 78.
"We can't get caught up on where we are in the standings," said Kralis. "We still have to go out and manage the golf course and manage our minds. We will have to stay aggressive because you can't be protective, rather, you have to be committed to finishing it off. It's a 36-hole event and we're only half-way through. But, I think we will have the right mind-set tomorrow and I fully expect us to finish it off. It should be an exciting day with a lot of guys competing for the individual title."
Tuesday's final round will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
