Sept. 18, 2006
LAWRENCE, Kan. -
Senior Matt Miller fired a second-round one-over-par 73, finishing day one tied for 17th at the Kansas Invitational Monday in Lawrence, Kan. Miller led the Illinois State men's golf team by shooting a two-round total of 147 (74, 73) and is 12 shots off the lead.
"Matt Miller's play today was consistent," said assistant coach Pina Gentile. "I know he felt that he didn't strike the ball very well in the first round, but he was able to hang in there and put up a solid score in the second-round. "
The Redbirds finished the day in 12th place with a two-round total of 611 (306, 305) at the Alvamar Golf Club. The weather took a turn for the worse in the second-round, as wind gusts approached 25 mph, causing competitors to adjust to the adverse conditions.
"The wind started to pick up in the second-round," added Gentile. "There would be times when the guys would be getting ready to hit, when suddenly a gust of wind would affect their shots."
Freshman Tommy Bliefnick shot a two-round total of 154 (79, 75) and finished the day tied for 47th. Sophomore Ben Murphy finished one shot behind Bliefnick and tied for 56th with a two-round total of 155 (78, 77). Freshman Drew Miller (T-66th) fired a two-round total of 157 (77, 80), while sophomore Kyle Bragg shot a two-round total of 160 (77, 83), ending the day tied for 81st.
Host Kansas finished the first day in the lead, backed by the strong performance from senior Gary Woodland, who shot a first-round five-under-par 67 to finish with a two-round total of 135 (67, 68) and in first-place. Iowa State finished in second-place and ten shots back. Houston shot a two-round total of 588 (294, 294) and sits in third-place. Nebraska finished in fourth-place, followed by California-Davis (fifth), South Dakota State (sixth), Louisiana-Monroe (seventh) and North Texas (eighth). Other notable day one finishes include Missouri Valley Conference members Northern Iowa (11th), Missouri State (13th) and Drake (15th).
While the `Birds are a young squad, Gentile believes the fall schedule will allow the team to build up playing experience before the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship.
"We're still a pretty young team," said Gentile. "But our team goal for the fall season is to get better. Every tournament we play, we need to get better in order to get ready for the spring and the Missouri Valley Conference Championship."
The Kansas Invitational continues on Tuesday morning with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. and teams competing in the final 18 holes.
