PINEHURST, N.C. - The Tigers Invitational got under way on Sunday and the Bridgewater College golf team faced one of the strongest fields they have ever competed amongst. The national-level event feature seventeen teams inside of the top-46 in the DIII rankings, and only two teams outside the top-50, including the Eagles who entered as the lowest seed in the tournament.
At the conclusion of the first round, the Eagles sit in 18th place among twenty teams after shooting 315. "It's a shame we did not get off to a better start," said head coach
John Rogers. "We really did not play very well, especially after going out first in the morning chill, but we are within a dozen or so shots of some elite teams. It's always a great experience to test yourself against better teams, and we can learn from this, but it's fun to knock over a few giants, and a sharp round today would have put us in that kind of position."
Max Bondurant, coming off a rough tournament at Myrtle Beach last week (his first competition in ten months) started to find his game today. The senior avoided big mistakes during the first round, and even when he struck some iron shots poorly, he was able to scramble to save pars. A quiet round of five bogies and two birdies gave him a total of 75, positioning him in 33rd out of 100 players, most of whom are ranked inside the top-100 nationally. "This golf course (Forest Creek Golf Club) does not easily give up low rounds," noted Rogers, "so this was a very good round for Max, who has not had much time to get his game in shape after returning from an injury. We definitely need him in this leadership role."
Brandon Washburn dropped three strokes in the tough closing stretch of holes, but still managed a solid 77. Like Bondurant, he avoided big numbers and made a pair of birdies during the first round. Washburn tied for first in the field on Sunday in par-3 scoring (-1) after three pars and a chip-in on the tough 16th hole.
Freshman
Christian Carroll got off to a slow start during the opening round of the Tigers Invitational. It took him eight holes to make a par and he was already +9 -- but he found his rhythm after making the turn. He played the inward nine at even par after three birdies. He ultimately salvaged an 81 to help the team.
Coach Rogers said
Walker Gillespie might have had the most frustrating round in the field today. Gillespie, who has been fighting his full-swing in recent weeks, hit 13 of 14 fairways and 16 greens in regulation, stats that would normally lead to a very low score; but the freshman had nine three-putts which brought him into the house in 82 strokes. "Hopefully tomorrow we'll find out what happens when Walker is firing on all cylinders," said Rogers.
Similar to Carroll, sophomore
Alex Deas started slow -- he was also nine over through eight holes, but likewise he rallied to make something of the round. He scrambled and grinded to play the final eleven holes at +3, giving him a final tally of 84.
Despite the team's slow start and putting frustrations, the Eagles are within twelve shots of the #12, #24, #37, and #39-ranked teams in the nation. The #2 team from Methodist has opened an 8-stroke lead in the tournament after shooting -7 on Sunday.
Play resumes at 9:30 AM Monday, when the Eagles will attempt to chase down some of the elite teams in front of them.
