Valparaiso University men’s golf senior Peter Webb (Madison, Wis./James Madison Memorial) shot a round of 67 on Monday to lead the way for the Crusaders as they competed on the second of three days of action at the Golfweek Program Challenge from True Blue G.C. in Pawley’s Island, S.C.

How It Happened

• The Crusaders improved by 15 shots as a team over Sunday’s opening round, posting a team round of 286 on Monday. Valpo sits at 587 through 36 holes, good for 14th place and just 10 strokes back of 10th position.
• Webb carded four birdies in his first seven holes to jump-start his round on Monday, shooting a 31 on the back nine before coming home in 36 for his five-under total of 67. Webb’s total through two rounds is 141, good for a tie for 15th position.
• Junior Zach Cutler (O’Fallon, Mo./Timberland) continued his steady early-season play, shooting a second consecutive round of 70 to end the day in a tie for ninth place at 140.
• Junior Michael Doherty (Lisle, Ill./Naperville North) carded an even-par 72 on Monday and owns a two-round total of 147. Freshman Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) shot a 77 on Monday, improving by five strokes over his first-round performance, while sophomore Mitchell Wittmann (Kaukauna, Wis./Kaukauna) shot an 81 on Monday.

Inside the Round

• The Crusaders’ team total of 286 was tied for the ninth-lowest round in program history.
• Webb shot his fourth career round of 67 or better as a Crusader, as Monday’s 67 ties for the fourth-lowest round in program history. Webb owns four of Valpo’s eight rounds of 67 or better and matched his career-low round at True Blue G.C., as he previously carded a 67 in this event as a freshman.
• Webb’s round of 67 on Monday tied for the second-best round in the tournament field, only bested by a 66 from Jacksonville’s David Wicks.
• Through two days, Valpo owns a 3.08 scoring average on par-3s as a team (+4), good for fifth among the 16-team field. Cutler is tied for the tournament low in par-3 scoring, as he has shot -3 on the course’s shortest holes so far this week.

Thoughts From Head Coach David Gring

“We needed a strong round out of the team today and a bounce back after yesterday's round. It was good to see the guys respond with two scores under par and our third at par. It's also good to see the improvement from one round to the next and we need to finish the tournament strong and improve today's team score again tomorrow.”

“While this is our seventh competitive round of the young season, we feel that we are capable of shooting these type of scores, especially with shots still left on the course and improvement in our fourth and fifth man scoring. The guys continue to play with determination and focus, with good shot decision making on the course today.”

“Peter, Zach, and Michael had sixteen birdies between the three of them today, with a lot of greens hit in regulation and some very good putting. It was fun to watch them knocking in some short and some 15-20 foot putts. We are looking forward to carrying some momentum into tomorrow's final round.”

Next Up

The Crusaders will close out the Golfweek Program Challenge on Tuesday, teeing off from the 10th hole beginning at 8 a.m. CT.