Fifth-year senior Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) led the Valparaiso University men’s golf team on the first day of the GCU Invite, hosted at the par-71 GCU Golf Course in Phoenix. VanArragon is tied for third on the player leaderboard.

How It Happened

• VanArragon stroked a 66 in Round 1 followed by a 68 in Round 2 to finish the first day of action at 134 (-8). He is even with Arran Kanth of UT Arlington and behind only GCU’s Tommaso Zorzetto (130, -12) and Arizona State’s Pongsapak Laopakdee (133, -9) on the player leaderboard.
• VanArragon’s 66 tied for his season low round and the best round by any Beacon this season.
• Also inside the top 30 in a competitive, 93-player field is Valpo junior Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield), who is tied for 27^th at 141 (-1). He carded a 72 in the opening round before improving to 69 in Round 2.
• The third-best Beacon on Monday was Mason Bonn (Sherwood, Ore. / Sherwood) at 145 (+3, 72-73), who is part of a tie for 51^st. Sam Booth (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) is one stroke behind Bonn at 146, t-62.
• Valpo finished the day tied for seventh of 16 on the team leaderboard. The Beacons carded identical scores in both rounds at 283, finishing -2 as a team through 36 holes. Host GCU owns the team lead at 22 strokes under par.  

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“I was very pleased with the decision making on the golf course today. I thought the guys managed the golf course very well and kept their composure and concentration over a very long day on the course. This was the first time we have played and walked 36 holes in five months, so it was an endurance test for us. Our shots off the tees and into the greens were pretty sharp all day. We need to work on our proximity to the hole with our short irons and wedges tomorrow and that will give us better opportunities for more birdies.”

“Caleb’s ball-striking in the first round was exceptional. He hit all 18 greens in regulation and narrowly missed five consecutive birdie putts on the back nine. His scorecard in that first round was super clean, with five birdies and all pars. He wasn’t quite as sharp with his ball-striking on the front nine of his second round, but he still managed to finish with another five birdies for the round and a solid final nine holes. His putting was terrific all day, and he’s in a great position to finish the tournament well tomorrow.”

Up Next

The final round of the GCU Invitational at GCU Golf Course in Phoenix will take place on Wednesday. A link to live scoring via Golf Genius is available on ValpoAthletics.com.