Bolingbrook, IL - The McKendree University Men's Golf Team battled the elements up at Bolingbrook Golf Club on Monday and Tuesday, facing off against numerous GLVC foes amid a 13-team field. The Bearcats were unable to find traction in the opening 18, but saw a massive scoring improvement into the second round before Mother Nature halted any further progression, as round two was suspended with McKendree in ninth place as a team and
Pe Nontarux (T-17th) within the Individual Top 25.
The Bearcats were unable to find too many red numbers on the opening 18.
Ethan Lang was able to birdie the par-five 3rd and par-four 9th for an E/36 on the front nine.
Thierry Boucher (par-five 5th),
Pe Nontarux (par-four 15th), and
Edison Wu (par-four 8th) had the other birdies as McKendree found themselves in 11th place at +26.
Second round play showed marked improvement up and down coach
Mikal Guffey's lineup, with the Bearcats having been on pace for a 26-stroke improvement to even-par after the weather washed out the back half of the second round. That improvement was led by a nearly all par-or-better round from Nontarux, who shredded through the front nine with three birdies and an eagle to sit at -4/32 before play was called.
Aidan O'Keefe found the red numbers multiple times on the front nine as well, getting birdies on the par-four 1st and par-five 5th for an E/36. Boucher rebounded to play par golf after sitting +2 after the first two holes. Lang birdied once again, doing so on the par-five 3rd for a +2/38. Wu rounded out the McKendree efforts with five pars and a +6/42.
The team field featured a strong majority of the GLVC, with UIS (+15), Rockhurst (+15), and Lewis (+16) rounding out the top three teams. The top six, adding Parkside (+17), Maryville (+19), and Davenport (+20) made up a team leaderboard that had a razor-thin margin for error. The Bearcats would finish just seven strokes back of a top five finish.
BEARCAT INDIVIDUAL SCORING
Pe Nontarux | T-17th | + 5
Thierry Boucher | T-17th | + 5
Ethan Lang | 25th | + 6
Aidan O'Keefe | 58th | + 14
Edison Wu | 59th | + 16
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE BEARCATS
@ Ken Partridge Invitational
Sunday-Tuesday, April 5th-7th
at Purgatory Golf Club - Noblesville, IN
