March 31, 2008
Results
HOLLISTER, Mo. -
Led by sophomore Tommy Bliefnick's first round 69, the Illinois State men's golf team stands alone in first place after first round action at the now rain-shortened Branson Creek Invitational, hosted by Missouri State at the par-71, 7,036 yard Branson Creek Golf Club. ISU recorded a 285 as a team and leads host Missouri State by four strokes.
Six different Redbirds finished day one in the top-30, including all five of Illinois State's team competitors. Redshirt sophomore Joe Emerich is tied for fifth after posting a round-one-total of 71, freshman Jeff Kellen is tied for ninth after a first-round 72, junior Ben Murphy finished day one in 15th after recording a 73, and sophomore Kyle Bragg is tied for 30th after tallying a round-one 75.
Sophomore Drew Miller, who is competing as an individual, matched Murphy's effort and is currently tied for 15th with a first-round-total of 73.
Head coach Ray Kralis took notice of his team's strong overall performance.
"We had a great team effort today, and I think the guys played even better than their scores indicate," Kralis noted. "Tommy played solid all day, and it was big for us as a team to have someone post a below-par number."
Host Missouri State sits in second place at the 12-team event after a round-one-team-total of 289. Murray State is in third, and trailing by seven strokes after a first-round-team-total of 292. Bliefnick shares the individual lead with Sam Hinson of Tennessee-Martin.
Although inclement weather has shortened the Branson Creek Invitational to 36-holes, Kralis feels his squad is ready to capture their first win of the season.
"I am very pleased at the number of guys we had step up today," said Kralis. "I was looking for strong individual efforts to compliment the progress we have we have made in our team scoring, and I believe our players are ready to capitalize on the opportunity in front of us.
Weather permitting, tee times for Tuesday's final round are scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
