July 31, 2008
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -
Former Illinois State men's golfers Gary Ostrega and D.A. Weibring are tied for 22nd place following the opening round of the 59th U.S. Senior Open, after carding one-over par scores of 71 Thursday at Broadmoor East Golf Course in Colorado Springs, Colo. ISU's other alumnus playing in the event, Jerry Vidovic, shot a three-over par 73, and is tied for 43rd overall.
Ostrega played a steady opening round, carding 11 pars to go along with three birdies. He was one-over on the par-three holes, leading to his four bogies. Birdies on the par-four 14th and par-three 15th holes helped Ostrega finish the back-nine in a one-under par 35.
Weibring had four birdies in the opening nine holes, but bogied the par-five ninth to finish with a front-nine score of a two-under par 34. He shot 37 on the back nine after bogying three of the final holes. On the day, Weibring hit 9-of-14 fairways with a 284.5 driving average, and was one-under par on Broadmoor East's four par-three holes.
Vidovic carded three birdies on the front nine, and made the turn in a one-under score of 35. He started the back side with two-consecutive bogies, and triple-bogied the par-three 12th hole. But he recorded pars in the final five holes to finish with a four-over par 38. Vidovic's round included nine pars, four birdies and four bogies.
Fred Funk is the first-round leader, recording a five-under par 65. He leads fellow American John Cook by one stroke. Four players, including Tom Kite, are tied for third after shooting three-under par in the opening round. The field will be cut to the lowest 60 scores and ties, plus anyone within 10 strokes of the leader, following the completion of Friday's second round.
GoRedbirds.com will follow Ostrega, Weibring and Vidovic's progress throughout the duration of the U.S. Senior Open.
