Feb. 19, 2007
Results
SAN ANTONIO -
Senior Matt Miller finished the first day of the 12th Annual UTSA Intercollegiate one shot off the lead, firing a second-round two-under-par 69 to lead the Illinois State men's golf team at the Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas. Miller finished day one with a two-round total of one-under-par 141 (72, 69) and in third place, while shooting his best score after two rounds this season.
After the first 36-holes of play, the Redbirds stand in eighth-place with a two-round total of 603 (306, 297).
Associate head coach Pina Gentile, who made the trip with the team, was pleased with the effort from Miller and the ability of the team to rebound in the afternoon after battling gusts of wind in the morning round.
"I was really impressed with how Matt played today," said Gentile. "He was able to battle the conditions in the morning and put up a really solid round. Once the wind died down in the second round, he was able to come back and have a better sense of where his shots were going.
"As a team, I think there are some real positive things that we can take from the first two rounds. We are closer to where we want to be, and they made some strides in the afternoon. They have been doing a good job of managing the course as well as their minds. They are letting go of the things that they can't control and just focusing on things they can do to improve their game."
After shooting a first-round 77, freshman Drew Miller was able to bounce back by shooting a one-over-par 72 to finish with a two-round total of 149 and tied for 18th place. Freshman Tommy Bliefnick was also able to improve in the second-round, finishing the day tied for 49th with a two-round total of 154 (78, 76). Sophomore Ben Murphy finished day one tied for 69th with a two-round total of 159, while sophomore Joe Emerich ended the day in 85th (166).
Competing as an individual, senior Ryan Brown finished the day tied for 88th with a total of 168 (86, 82).
New Orleans (297, 291) and Louisiana-Monroe (290, 298) lead the tournament after two rounds, both firing a team total of 588. Sam Houston State sits in third place, while host UTSA is fourth with a two-round total of 595. Texas Pan American and De Paul round out the top five spots in the standings, as both squads shot a team total of 597. Missouri Valley Conference member Northern Iowa finished the first day tied for 15th.
Sam Houston State's Robert Gwin (72, 68) and UTSA's Simon Merry (69, 71) are tied for the individual lead after day one. Both competitors finished the second round with a two-round total of 140.
Tuesday's day of competition will feature the final round of 18-holes, beginning at 8:00 a.m.
