The Valparaiso University men’s golf team faced challenging conditions on Monday at the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate, hosted by UNCG at the par-72, 7169-yard Hammock Green Golf Club in Palm City, Fla. Steady winds gusted from 15-20 miles per hour, leading to a challenging second round in the three-day, 54-hole event.

How It Happened

• Freshman Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) had the top day of any Beacon, improving his Round 1 score despite the windier conditions. He trimmed a stroke off his opening-day performance by carding an even-par 72 on Monday. Delisanti moved into a tie for 14^th on the player leaderboard.
• Behind a strong Day 1 effort, Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) is still tied for the team lead through 36 holes. He joins Delisanti in the tie for 14^th overall at 145 (+1) with 18 holes remaining.
• Senior Garrett Willis (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead) had the next-best Round 2 score on the team, turning in a 78 to finish the day at 154.
• As a squad, Valpo posted a 306 (+18) and is now tied for ninth in a competitive 21-team field. Creighton and host UNCG are tied for the top spot at 580, while Western Carolina’s Preston Richardson has the inside track on medalist honors at 135 (-9).  

Inside the Round

• VanArragon eagled the Par-5 15^th hole during Monday’s round.
• Willis holds a team-high seven birdies in the tournament, followed by VanArragon and Yianni Kostouros (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point [Ball State]) with six apiece.
• VanArragon is averaging 2.75 on par-3 holes, the third-best mark in the tournament in that category.
• Delisanti is among the leaders in par-4 scoring at 3.95.
• As a team, Valpo has produced 26 birdies.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“We certainly had our challenges with the 15–20 mph wind throughout today’s round. This is an area that we simply have not been able to practice indoors, and unfortunately it got the best of us. We had too many double and triple bogeys sprinkled throughout the scorecards and the birdie production was low. We needed to manage this area better today and we will make those adjustments for tomorrow.”

“Anthony had a tremendous round for us today, playing very consistent and steady. Any time you have 14 pars, two birdies and two bogeys in those type of conditions, the ball striking is fantastic. Anthony hit nine out of 14 fairways and 14 out of 18 greens in regulation. This was definitely one of his best ball-striking rounds out of 18 rounds this year.”

Up Next

The opening tournament of the spring season will conclude on Tuesday, Feb. 15 with Round 3 of the Advance Golf Partners Collegiate at Hammock Creek GC in Palm City, Fla. Live scoring is available via GolfStat.