Falcons Tied For Eighth After First Day Of MAC Championships

Friday, April 29

Mason, OH

All Day

Bowling Green State University

MAC Championships

BGSU Men's Golf Team at MAC Championship

April 29, 2011 | Men's Golf

By: by Matthew Daley, Athletic Communications Intern

DAY ONE RESULTS (.pdf)

LIVE STATS

Halfway through the 72 holes of the 2011 Mid-American Conference Championships, the Bowling Green State University men's golf team rests in a tie for eighth place after shooting 625 during play on Friday (April 29).

The Falcons kicked off the three-day tournament, held in Maineville, Ohio at TPC River's Bend, by carding a 315 in the first round. They led Toledo by two strokes and were within ten shots of both Ohio and Miami University.

The team improved its play at the par-72, 7,180 yard course in the second round, and the Falcons cut their total by five strokes. However, because both Toledo and Miami also improved their lot, BGSU was not able to improve their standing. The Falcons' total of 625 (315-310) is tied with Ohio, and both teams are 12 strokes behind Miami and Toledo, who are tied for sixth with 613.

Kent State stands atop the team leaderboard after Friday's play. KSU shot 275 in the second round -- 20 strokes better than any round played by the other eight teams in the field. The Golden Flashes (-9) lead the field by 25 strokes.

Individually, Chris Melvin and Parker Hewit are tied for the best Falcon score of the day. Hewit carded the team's best individual round with a 75 in the second round. He coupled that with an earlier 81 for a total of 156. Melvin's matching 156 was acheived through rounds of 79 and 77. Melvin was the only Falcon to play both rounds under 80 on Friday.

Falcon teammates Wes Gates and Drew Preston are also tied, as they each shot 159 during Friday's 36 holes. Gates paired a first-round 79 with an 80 over the final 18 holes, while Preston played rounds of 77 and 82.

Charlie Olson rests between the pair of ties and leads Hewit and Gates by one stroke. Olson shot 80 and 78 in the day's two rounds for a composite 158.

Kent State's Mackenzie Hughes (70-67) is the tournament leader at seven-under-par. Eric Steger of Ball State led after one round and is in a tie for second, three strokes behind Hughes, entering the third round.

The third round begins on Saturday (April 30) at 8:00 a.m., with staggered tee times from the first tee. There will be 15 groups of three players. The first five groups will include players from Bowling Green, Toledo and Ohio. Groups continue to tee off every eight minutes in order of team standings after Friday's play.