The Valparaiso men's golf team began play at its final tournament of the 2013 fall campaign on Monday, as it sits in eighth place after the opening 36 holes of the 54-hole Quail Valley Intercollegiate, being held at Quail Valley G.C. in Vero Beach, Fla.

The Crusaders posted team rounds of 299 and 298 on Monday for a score of 597 through 36 holes to sit in eighth place in the nine-team field. Louisiana-Monroe holds the tournament lead at 568.

“In the morning round, we had a tough start, but the guys settled in and played better as the round progressed,” said Crusader head coach David Gring.  “During the afternoon round, we averaged four birdies per player, but some big scoring holes affected our team score. As a team, we talk about the importance of playing the par-3's smart and taking advantage of the scoring on par-5's.  Today, our par-3 performance was very poor and we didn't play well enough on the par-5's.  These are two areas we need to improve in.”

Senior Kyle Henning (Brookfield, Wis./East) posted a pair of solid rounds on Monday, shooting rounds of 70 and 73 to enter the final round in seventh place at one-under 143. Fellow senior Thomas Wettstein (Neenah, Wis./Xavier) posted an even-par 72 after an opening 75 and is tied for 22^nd at 147.

“Both of our seniors played solid for us today,” said Gring.  “The greens were fast and true, and both guys putted well, which was real good to see.”

Freshman Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) posted scores of 76 and 74 on Monday to enter Tuesday tied for 30^th at 150. Junior Eric Winters (Elgin, Ill./St. Edward) is in 41^st place entering the final round, having posted a 157 on Monday, while junior Joe Harris (Washington, Iowa/Washington) is tied for 44^th place at 161.

Valparaiso will close out the fall season on Tuesday with the final 18 holes.