Austin Peay Governors Gov hindered by slow start, injury at F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate

October 19, 2015 |

Austin Peay Sports Information

Hopkinsville, KY – A rough day that started slow and saw an injury to a key golfer ended with Austin Peay State University men’s golf team finding a way to move up the leaderboard during the opening day of the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate, Monday, at The Links at Novadell.

Austin Peay Men’s Golf. (APSU Sports Information)

However, No. 3 Tyler Phillips‘ 72 was the only other round to find par or better in the morning as the Govs combined for a 289 that was tied for 10th after the morning.

The afternoon round was overshadowed by Kramer’s withdrawal at the turn after suffering an injury at No. 9. In addition, as the day got warmer, the wind died down making The Links at Novadell particularly vulnerable to low scoring.

And the low scores arrived in droves with seven of the 11 competing teams topping their first-round performance, four by eight shots or more. In addition, more than half the tournament field – 33 of 65 golfers – posted under par rounds in the afternoon.

Austin Peay was one of those teams making a big afternoon move, following its 289 with a 281. Phillips led the effort in the afternoon, following his even-par morning round with a two-under 70 to help the Govs cause. His two-under 142 after the opening day is tied for 23rd and leads the Govs.

However, the Govs three other golfers – No. 2 Chris Baker, No. 4 Justin Arens and No. 5 Erik Hedberg – each made significant improvements in the afternoon to help alleviate Kramer’s loss. Baker made a seven-shot improvement in the afternoon, the second-best improvement from round-to-round. Baker followed an opening-round 75 with a 68 and is 27th overall with a one-under 143.

Arens improved by four shots during the day, shooting a 70 in the afternoon after a 74 in the morning and sits tied for 28th with an even-par 144. Hedberg made a more modest two-shot improvement with a 73 in the second round and sits tied for 51st with a four-over 148. Playing as an individual, Alex Rios is just 2-over at 146 while APSU’s other individual, Sean Butscher, overcame the jitters of his first college tournament to shoot a second-round 1-over 73 after shooting an 81 morning round.

Austin Peay will enter Day 2 of the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate tied for seventh with a 570. They trail the co-leaders UT Martin and Belmont by 25 shots. The Skyhawks opened with a 281 and improved with a 274 to post a 555. The Bruins were one-shot back after the first round but recovered in the second, their 282 and 273 combo good for a share of the lead.

The Govs will set their eyes on the group ahead of them, beginning with fourth-place Missouri State which lies just eight shots in front of the Govs with a 562. Murray State sits a surprising fifth, seven shots ahead of APSU, after the opening day. The Racers led the tournament with a 276 after the morning round but spiraled backwards in the afternoon with a 287 that was the round’s fourth-highest score. New Orleans (568) is sixth followed by the duo of Nicholls and Austin Peay (570).

“I think they understand it’s another four months before we play again,” said Wilson. “They know their backs are against the wall. There’s nothing left to do but fight. We’re going to go out there and finish the fall with a good round and see what happens.”

Individually, UT Martin’s Hunter Richardson, a Clarksville High School alumnus, leads the tournament after posting rounds of 68 and 65. His 133 first-day total was one-shot shy of the tournament record set in 2008 by Austin Peay’s Erik Barnes. The tournament three-round record is 199 also held by Barnes.

Richardson will be pushed on day two as nine other golfers lie within five shots of the lead and 27 golfers finished the day under par. Second day action at The Links at Novadell begins with a 9:00am shotgun start.

Box Score

F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate
The Links at Novadell
Hopkinsville, KY
2015 Monday and 2015 Tuesday
Dates: October 19th – October 20th

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