JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - The Bridgewater College men's golf team completed the second round of the Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate on Saturday, and, as a continuation of some recent balance in scoring, it was a pair of freshmen who led the way.
The Eagles typically lean heavily on the two upperclassmen in the lineup, senior
Max Bondurant and junior
Brandon Washburn. Both have adjusted scoring averages under 75, but today both had an off-day, which opened the door for rookies
Walker Gillespie and
Will Layton to step up.
Playing the back nine at Paradise Point Gold Course first, Gillespie performed solidly, though he was disappointed not to capitalize on the par-5 holes. He turned at +2 and played the inward nine at even par to post 74. He said he actually hit the ball worse than the first round, but he managed it better, and he came through when the team needed him. "Walker has the ability to go low, and mentally he actually expects it, which is a good thing most of the time," said head coach
John Rogers. "But college golf, and especially college golf in the spring, is a grind, so he is learning how to manage his expectations and the golf course in a way that will ultimately lead to low numbers. In the meantime, he is definitely helping us."
Fellow rookie,
Will Layton, arrived at Camp Lejeune fighting a hook and some sketchy chipping, but as the week has progressed he has cleaned things up. Today he turned at +1 and held on late in the round when the wind started blowing. He posted a much needed 76 on Saturday thanks to solid iron-play and short-game.
Brandon Washburn said his lag putting and wedge-play made things difficult today, as well as a lost tee ball that was not found despite landing in play. He had a four-hole stretch late in the round during which he dropped five strokes, but he managed the rest of the round at even par to salvage a 77.
Christian Carroll, another freshman in the starting lineup for Bridgewater, was pleased overall with his game on Saturday and said he simply burned too many edges on his putts. He played sixteen holes at +1 and survived a pair of double-bogies en route to a final score of 78.
Max Bondurant, sitting in 15th place among 120 players after an opening 71 yesterday had a regrettable day on Saturday, during which he said his iron-play put a burden on his short-game -- and his short-game did not respond. After playing his last five rounds at +3 total, the senior was +8 today.
The Eagles, after a solid first-day score of 298 on Friday, ended up with a 305 today. During the round they dropped as low as 21st in the strong field at Camp Lejeune, but the afternoon wave of teams struggled in the wind and the Eagles jumped to 17th place by the end of the day -- up one spot, and one position ahead of their seeding. "We seemed a bit sluggish today overall," noted Rogers "but that often happens when you get the late wave in the first round and the early round the next day. And today still had its encouraging results, like the younger players stepping up when we needed them. Soon we will get to see what happens when all five players get in a groove, and it will be fun."
The final round of the Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate starts at 8:30 AM Sunday, following a banquet on Saturday evening.
