SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. – After the first two rounds of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship Monday, the Illinois State men's golf team sits in ninth place at The Club of Porta Cima. Christian Crabill leads the Redbirds with a 36-hole score of 153 (76-77), having the most consistent play of the day. For his efforts during the first day of competition, Crabill is tied for 21st place on the individual leaderboard.
Head coach Ray Kralis hopes the team can bounce back during the final round.
"Monday's outcome was very disappointing and obviously not part of the plan," Kralis explained. "Competition exposes you sometimes, and you have a chance to learn a bit about yourselves. I hope we come back Tuesday with some fight in us."
Wichita State (573) leads the field by 21 strokes with Northern Iowa (594) in second place. Wichita State is on its way to winning its eighth-straight Valley Championship. Evansville (597) is in third followed by Bradley (602) in fourth, while Southern Illinois (604) rounds out the top-five teams.
Crabill led the way for the team, while Tyler Gentilella carded a two-round score of 155 (73-82), including a 1-over-par 73 in the opening round. Zach Burry shot an 82 in the first round, but regrouped and fired a 3-over-par 75 to close out the day. Burry heads into the final round with a 36-hole score of 157 (82-75). Jordan Fahel (83-82) and Kyle Meihofer (84-81) both shot a 165, rounding out the Redbird lineup.
Tuesday's final round tees off at 8 a.m.
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