Mika Becktor had three birdies en route to a one-over par 72.
Results
SILVIS, Ill. – The Savannah College of Art and Design is in a four-way tie for 11th place after the first round of the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championship Tuesday (May 18).
The Bees, who are ranked No. 4 in the NAIA, shot 300 (+16) on the par-71, 6,983-yard layout on the TPC at Deere Run, which annually hosts the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic. The 300 score is the second-lowest 18-hole score in 14 rounds played in SCAD’s five national tournament appearances. The 11th-place start almost marks the second-best ever opening round for a SCAD team at the national tournament.
Defending champion and No. 2-ranked Oklahoma Christian University shot a seven-over par 291 score to lead the 29-team field. The Eagles hold a two-stroke lead over top-ranked Oklahoma City University (293, +9) and are four strokes clear of No. 10 University of South Carolina Beaufort (295, +11). No. 11 California Baptist University and No. 5 Holy Names University are tied for fourth place at 296 (+12). Fifteen teams are within 10 strokes of the lead.
Oklahoma Christian’s Axel Ochoa leads the 156-player field after firing a four-under par 67. Ochoa holds a one-stroke advantage over Malone College’s Justin Lower and Madonna University’s Brett Quitiquit, who each registered rounds of 68 (-3).
#Mika Becktor# leads the way for the Bees as he recorded three birdies en route to a one-over par round of 71, good for a tie for 16th place. Teammates #Loren Bunting#, #Scott Melton#, #Tom Hayes# and #Greg Richards# each shot five-over par scores of 76 and are each tied for 58th.
SCAD will tee off its second round beginning at 1:24 p.m. Central time Wednesday (May 19). The 72-hole tournament, which runs through Friday (May 21), will be cut to the top 17 teams and 40 individuals, including ties, after the completion of the third round Thursday (May 20). The 2010 event is being hosted by Saint Ambrose University and the Quad Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau.