Bruins climb to seventh in first tourney of season
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- The Bellevue University men's golf team knocked 13 strokes off their first round score as they climbed the leaderboard to finish in a tie for seventh place in the season-opening U.C. Ferguson Classic.
The tournament, originally scheduled to be a three-round 54-hole affair, was been reduced to 36 holes after rain disrupted play on Monday. It was played at the par-71, 6,576-yard Lincoln Park Golf Course.
Dylan Rodgers and Kyle Dale were the top finishers for the Bruins, placing 24th overall in the 82-golfer field with 36-hole totals of 1-under 141.
Rodgers and Dale each backed up a first round even par 71s with 1-under second round 70s. Rodgers (No. 8, 13, 14) and Dale (No. 7, 13, 18) each tallied three birdies in second round action.
Thomas Gatlin delivered the best round of the tournament for any Bellevue golfer, carding a 4-under 68 in the second round. He finished 37th overall at 2-over (144). He shaved 10 strokes off his first round score in his march up the leaderboard as he recorded five birdies in the round, including four on the back nine where he shot a 4-under 31.
Randy Christiansen finished 5-over (147) in 50th place. He shot a 1-over 71 during his second round, highlighted by a trio of birdies on No. 1, 7, and 11.
Ludwig Klingspor tied for 61st at 8-over (150) after posting back-to-back 4-over 75 rounds. He began his day with a birdie on No. 4, one of two on the day, and added another on No. 16.
Competing as individuals, Martin Hempston and Emilio Morales tied for 56th and 61st, respectively with scores of +7 (149) and +8 (150).
Hempston backed up a 3-over (74) first round with a 4-over (75) second. He finished strong with birdies on each of his final two holes (No. 13, 14). Morales shaved two strokes off his first round 76 (+5) to card a 74 (+3) in the second including a birdie on No. 18.
Host Oklahoma City won the team title at 22-under (546), holding off MidAmerica Nazarene (-20). Science & Arts (-18), Hastings (-16), and Texas Wesleyan (-9) rounded out the top five.
Bellevue finished tied with Kansas Wesleyan at 3-over (571) to share seventh place honors.
USAO's Jaxen Brewer (-12) edged out MNU's Alexian Rouault (-11) for the individual title.
The Bruins return to the links on Tuesday, Sept. 2 when they begin play at The Mid-South, hosted by Grand View University at Sand Creek Station in Newton, Kan.