Oct. 9, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -
Senior Matt Miller shot a first-round three-over-par 73 to lead the Illinois State men's golf team after the first day of the inaugural Notre Dame Fighting Irish Gridiron Golf Classic in Notre Dame, Ind. Miller finished the day tied for 11th, firing a two-round total of 148 (73, 75).
As a team, the Redbirds were unable to put up a solid team score as they struggled at the Warren Golf Course, which has been rated as one of "America's Best Courses" by Golf Digest. The Redbirds finished the first day in 12th place, with a two-round total of 620 (312, 308).
Head coach Ray Kralis was disappointed with the team's performance on the first day of competition.
"Obviously, there is nothing that is good about our performance today," said Kralis. "Unfortunately, we didn't get anything going. I'm disappointed because we are better than that. There is no doubt that we will learn from today."
Ben Murphy fired a two-round total of 155 (78, 77) and finished the day tied for 36th. Freshman Tommy Bliefnick finished day one tied for 51st with a two-round total of 158 (80, 78). Sophomore Kyle Bragg was one shot behind Bliefnick tied for 58th with a two-round total of 159 (81, 78). Rounding out the lineup for the `Birds, freshman Drew Miller fired a two-round total of 161 (83, 78) and finished in 64th.
Lamar leads the tournament after day one, backed by the performances of Oliver Bekker and Justin Harding, who are tied for the individual lead with a two-round total of two-under-par 138. Tournament host Notre Dame is currently in second-place with a two-round total of 586 (292, 294) and is 19 shots back. Florida State finished the first day in third-place, while Baylor and Augusta State are tied for fourth-place with a two-round total of 600.
While the team did not perform up to expectations, Kralis feels the team will come out in tomorrow's final-round and produce better results.
"We have got to come out tomorrow with our heads up," said Kralis. "We have to do a better job of managing our games. I expect us to come out tomorrow and play a lot better. Today was a great `classroom experience' that exposed our inexperience as a team. But, we will come back stronger and gain valuable experience as we look toward the next few weeks of competition."
The final round begins with split-tee times beginning at 8:24 a.m., based on the standings after 36 holes of competition.
