Senior Michael Doherty (Lisle, Ill. / Naperville North) used a strong second round at Monday’s Firestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio to help the Valparaiso University men’s golf team make a seven-stroke improvement from Round 1 to Round 2.

How It Happened

• Doherty started his day with a 78 in Round 1, before equaling his personal season best with a 73 in the second round. He finished the day with a 36-hole score of 151, which places him in a tie for 48^th overall in a large, competitive field.
• After a record-setting showing last week, freshman Drew Alexander (McCordsville, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) carded a 75 in Round 1 and a 78 in Round 2 to finish the first day of competition at 153.
• Freshman Brett Seward (Aurora, Ill. / Aurora Christian) ranks third on the team at 157. He turned in a 79 followed by a 78 on Monday.

Inside the Rounds

• Valpo’s best performance has come on Par 3 holes, where the Crusaders are averaging 3.40 (+16).
• Doherty leads the team with 21 pars. Alexander and Doherty share the team lead in birdies with six apiece.
• Missouri Valley Conference foe Illinois State leads the event at 12 strokes under par, five strokes ahead of host Akron, which sits in second place.
• Valpo is one of three Valley schools in the field along with Illinois State and Bradley.
• Elliott Grayson of Akron and defending Firestone Invitational champion Austin Squires of Cincinnati are tied for the event lead at eight strokes under par.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“We had our challenges on the golf course today, but the team stayed composed and played hard all day. Each one of the guys kept pushing hard, giving it their best throughout the day and I'm grateful for that kind of effort and attitude."

“We struggled off the tee hitting fairways. When you’re out of position off the tee, it's difficult to hit the greens in regulation. We will need to get the ball better in play off the tee tomorrow and certainly hit more greens in regulation.”

“The Par 3s are some of the most challenging holes on the golf course and our Par-3 scoring was terrific in the morning round. While that was not as productive in the afternoon round, our Par-5 scoring was much better in the second round. We will need to play the Par 3s well and take more advantage of the Par 5s during tomorrow's round."

Up Next

The Crusaders will be back on the course for the third and final round of the Firestone Invitational on Tuesday. A link to live scoring is available on ValpoAthletics.com.