The Valparaiso University men’s golf team was led by Matthew McCarthy (O’Fallon, Ill. / Althoff Catholic) in the opening round of the Colleton River Collegiate, hosted by Michigan State, on Monday at Dye Course in Bluffton, S.C. The Valpo sophomore carded a 76 (+4) despite playing through unfavorable weather conditions to take part in a 27^th place tie through 18 holes. Two rounds were slated for Monday, but the second of those will be completed on Tuesday prior to Round 3 as play was suspended due to darkness.

How It Happened

• McCarthy is followed closely by teammate Drew Alexander (McCordsville, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern), a freshman who notched a 77 in Round 1 and sits at t-33^rd entering the second round.
• Reigning MVC Golfer of the Week Brett Seward (Aurora, Ill. / Aurora Christian) and Ross Lazar (Okemos, Mich. / Okemos) scored 80s on Day 1, while Mitchell Wittmann’s (Kaukauna, Wis. / Kaukauna) Round 1 score was an 83.

Inside the Round

• Valpo is tied for 10^th in the 12-team field with a team score of 313 after one round. The Crusaders are deadlocked with Big Ten foe Wisconsin and only three strokes behind former conference rival Oakland for ninth.
• Iowa State, Rutgers, Michigan State and Miami are all tied for first place through 18 holes at 296 (+8). Cincinnati’s Austin Squires holds the early individual lead with an even par of 70.
• Valpo has 89 pars as a team, led by Alexander with 21. The Crusaders own 11 birdies, with Seward pacing the squad with four.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“The team had to battle through a lot of the weather elements in both rounds of today's tournament. Between the rain in the first round and gusty winds and falling temperatures in the second round, we had our work cut out for us today. When you add a very challenging Pete Dye golf course to the mix, the guys had their hands full all day. Our competitors played through the same conditions as us, but we couldn't get the birdies that we needed and we had difficulty with the speed of the greens.”

“The greens are very challenging with lots of subtle breaks. We simply couldn't convert more birdies and it really helps levels of momentum, as we are working our way through the rounds. I felt the guys made a lot of good decisions on the course, but we couldn't find a real rhythm today. Matt had a very steady first round for us, driving the ball well off the tee and hitting a lot of greens.”

“Each of our players has about two holes remaining to finish the second round and we will play continuously right through the third round. We need to have a better start, especially with us starting on a challenging stretch of the golf course. With a few rounds under the belt on the course, I'm confident that we can have our best round of the tournament tomorrow.”

Up Next

The Crusaders will continue the Colleton River Collegiate on Tuesday at Colleton River Club in Bluffton, S.C. Round 2 will resume at 8:45 a.m. after being suspended due to darkness on Monday, then Round 3 will be continuous play. Live scoring is available via GolfStat.