The Valparaiso University men’s golf team teed off the spring slate on Sunday with the first 18 holes of the 54-hole Dorado Beach Collegiate, hosted by UNCG at the par-72, 7112-yard TPC Dorado Beach Sugarcane Course at Dorado Beach Resort and Club in Dorado, P.R. The Beacons were led by Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) on the first day of action.

How It Happened

• Delisanti finished the first round tied for fourth in a competitive, 107-player field. He posted a 66 (-6) in his first round of the spring.
• Fifth-year senior Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) and freshman Elliot Lee (Tillamook, Ore. / Tillamook) were tied for the team’s second-best performance on Sunday. They both carded a 71 and sit at t-47 entering Monday.
• In addition, Mason Bonn (Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood) posted a 73 (+1) and Sam Booth (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) checked in with a 73 while golfing as an individual.
• Valpo finished the first day of competition in 10^th of 17 on a competitive leaderboard. Host UNCG leads the tournament at 270, while Kent State’s Chris Vandette owns the top spot on the player leaderboard with a 64.

Inside the Round

• The team score of 281 (-7) is Valpo’s second-best of the season behind only the final round of the fall season on Oct. 28 at the Monterrey Collegiate Classic. Sunday’s round was the 10^th best in program history in terms of overall score and the fifth best in relation to par.
• Delisanti’s 66 (-6) is tied for the best score by a Valpo player this season. That score is tied for the eighth best 18-hole round in program history in overall score and tied for fifth in relation to par.
• The Beacons were among the tournament leaders in par-3 scoring (3.10, fifth) and par-4 scoring (3.98, tied for third). However, they were toward the bottom in par-5 scoring at 4.75.
• The Beacons produced 57 pars, the third most in the field.
• Delisanti drilled a team-high six birdies on Day 1 of action.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“For our first competitive round in four months and limited practice outside during these winter months, I was very pleased with our preparation leading up to the tournament and our first-round play. We certainly had some rust that we were kicking off, but we had our best first tournament round in over a year. We left a number of birdie opportunities out on the course, but the guys gave themselves plenty of chances and we always want to be in position to make birdies.”

“We knew that we needed to play the Par 3s very well to be competitive, since they are tough. We played those at two over as a team, which is terrific. We also played the Par 4s well, even though we still missed a number of birdies inside of 10 feet. We played the Par 5s very poorly and lost a lot of ground to the field. We hit the ball decently off the tee on those holes, but our second shots into the greens needed to be in better positions to make birdie. We will play those holes better the next two rounds.”

“Anthony played very steady for us today. He had six birdies and no bogeys, making at least one birdie every three holes. He hit 11 of 14 fairways, 14 of 18 greens in regulation and he had 27 putts. He played with a lot of confidence today, and it was exciting to watch, especially with the way he ended his fall season. The whole team is excited to get back after it tomorrow.”

Up Next

The Dorado Beach Collegiate will continue on Monday in Dorado, Puerto Rico as the teams compete in Round 2 of the 54-hole event. A link to live scoring via GolfStat can be found on ValpoAthletics.com.