Murray, Wagner help place Ephs 13th after Day 1 of NCAA Championships
Drew Murray '11
BRASELTON, GA. -- First-years Drew Murray and Jake Wagner shot rounds of 73 and 75, respectively, Tuesday to help the Williams College place 13th among the 35 teams competing at the 2008 NCAA Div. III championships ath the Chateau Elan Resort.
The field will be cut to the top 23 teams after play Wednesday.
"I told the kids after today's round, 'you did a good job, you finished strong and now we're in a position to hopefully play well tomorrow and make the cut,'" Ephs head coach Rick Pohle said. "Our goal is to extend our stay down here by a couple of more days."
Murray, a first-year from Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., did his part Tuesday, having little trouble with the Chateau Course, which covers 7030 yards. Murray was a model of consistency, finishing plus-one on the front nine and plus-one over the back nine. He earned par on 16 of the 18 holes, including 11 in a row at one point.
Wagner, a first-year from Wilmette, Ill., was right behind him and got better as the day went along. After shooting plus-three on the front nine, he went plus-one on the back, including a birdie on the par-five 15th hole. He registered 12 pars on the day.
"We were very happy about the days they had," Pohle said. "They are two quality players and I think it helped the other guys to look up and see them doing as well as they did. You have to drive the ball very well on this course, and there are a lot of greens well protected by bunkers and water. It's quite challenging."
Senior Brendan Conley fired an 82 on the day, while teammates Tyler Zara and Matt Felser, both juniors, came in right behind him with matching 83s. Zara notched a birdie on the par-four 4th hole early in his day.
The University of La Verne leads the field after Day One with a team total of 290, 11 strokes ahead of second place Skidmore College. Scott Harris Jr. of third-place St. John Fisher University, was the round's medalist with a three-under 68.
