Senior Peter Webb (Madison, Wis. / James Madison Memorial) compiled the best round of his collegiate career to begin the Hoosier Invitational hosted by Indiana University in Bloomington on Saturday. Webb stroked a 65 in the opening round, then followed with a 68 in Round 2. After one day of competition, his total score of 133 (-9) ranks first in the 78-player field.

How It Happened

• As a team, the Crusaders are in 12^th of 14 squads. They posted a team score of 295 in the first round, then carded a 294 in Round 2. Valpo’s total score is 589 with 18 holes remaining.
• Senior Nick Seitz (Xenia, Ohio / Carroll) had the second-best day of any Crusader, rebounding from a 77 in Round 1 with a 74 in Round 2. He is tied for 58^th with a total score of 151.
• Michael Doherty (Lisle, Ill. / Naperville North) turned in Valpo’s third-best performance and is tied for 65^th overall after one day on the course. He carded a 75 in the first round before stroking a 78 in Round 2.
• Freshman Jeremy Wu (Medford, Ore. / St. Mary’s) improved four strokes from Round 1 to Round 2. He started his day with a 79, then posted a 75. He currently stands in a tie for 69^th at 154.
• Adam Baracani (Normal, Ill. / University) scored a 78 in the first round and a 77 in the second round. His total score of 155 is tied for 74^th.
• Freshman Matthew McCarthy (O’Fallon, Ill. / Althoff Catholic) golfed as an individual and turned in a 76 in the first round. He posted a 79 in Round 2 and is tied for 74^th with a total score of 155.

Inside the Rounds

• Webb’s 65 equaled the modern program record, which was set by Jared Magoline and Seitz on the same day, when both Crusaders posted a 65 at the Golfweek Program Challenge in September 2014. The Valpo record book began when the program resumed in 2009.
• Webb went six strokes under par in the first round, tying a personal best set on Oct. 6, 2015 at the Firestone Invitational. That mark ranks third in program history.
• On Sunday, Webb will attempt to become the first Crusader to garner medalist honors since Zach Cutler won the CSU Cougar Classic on Sept. 23, 2014.
• The Crusaders finished ahead of two Horizon League foes and narrowly behind another. They hold a two-stroke edge on 13^th-place Detroit Mercy and a 15-stroke advantage on 14^th-place Youngstown State. Valpo is two strokes behind 11^th-place Oakland.
• Charlotte leads the event with a 556, followed by second-place Bradley at 563.
• The Crusaders have done a strong job on Par 3 holes. They have a 3.17 average on Par 3s through one day, second among all teams participating in the event behind only the host Hoosiers at 3.13.
• Valpo racked up 20 birdies on the first day of competition, 13 of which belonged to Webb. Webb’s 13 birdies are the most of any player in the field.
• Webb has been at his best on Par 4 holes. He leads the event with a 3.69 average on Par 4s.
• Webb owns a five-stroke lead on Charlotte’s Seth Gandy for medalist honors.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“There are a number of areas that our team is concentrating on this spring season and within each tournament. I feel that we are gradually progressing with each tournament round and we made some positive steps forward today. Our ball-striking from tee to green is improving. Chipping around the greens and saving par has been solid. We're getting some better scoring out of our No. 4 and No. 5 players and our No. 1 player went really low for us today.”

“Despite only three Par 3s on the course, our scoring was decent on those for the two rounds.  The greens are designed with a lot of slope from back to front and we weren't able to capitalize on enough birdie opportunities. We need to get the ball closer to the hole from the fairway with our short irons, along with some better positions on the green to attack the hole. Our speed with the putts on those greens was not good enough and if we can dial that in, we will have better rounds tomorrow."

"Pete played magnificently for us today. He has been driving the ball well this entire spring season - long and straight. His proximity to the hole with his irons was really sharp with numerous birdie putts inside six to seven feet. Pete also dropped a number of 10-15 foot putts, and with his excellent ball-striking that is a powerful combination. Today's rounds were certainly excellent boosts for his confidence and he is excited to go at it again tomorrow."

Up Next

The Crusaders will continue the Hoosier Invitational in Bloomington, Ind. on Sunday as they play the third and final round. Round 3 will have a 9 a.m. shotgun start. A link to live stats is available on ValpoAthletics.com.