The Valparaiso University men’s golf team will try to close out a top-2 finish at the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Tuesday as the Beacons jumped into second place during Monday’s second round of the 54-hole event at the par-72, 7014-yard Country Club of Paducah in Paducah, Ky. Southern Illinois has built up a sizable lead for the team title, while Valpo holds a four-stroke edge over a three-way tie for third.

How It Happened

• The Beacons moved up from third place through one round to second place through two rounds by trimming three strokes off their Round-1 score on Monday. Valpo finished Round 2 with a 297 (+9) and sits at 597 (+21) with 18 holes remaining. Southern Illinois has built up a 17-stroke lead for the team title at 580 (+4), while Illinois State, Drake and Missouri State are in a three-way tie for third, four strokes in back of the second-place Beacons.
• A pair of Valpo players are tied for fifth as Caleb VanArragon (Blaine, Minn. / Blaine) and Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) carded a 72 (E) on Monday. The even par round helped them stay at two over for the tournament at 146, one stroke behind a tie for third, two strokes behind second and five strokes behind Missouri State’s Max Kreikemeier, who is well positioned for medalist honors.
• If VanArragon and Delisanti can both hold on to spots in the top five, they will be guaranteed First Team All-MVC status. Five golfers who finish outside the top five will also earn all-conference recognition based on voting that occurred before the league championship.
• Senior Yianni Kostouros (Crown Point, Ind. / Crown Point [Ball State]) trimmed seven strokes off his Round-1 score with a 76 on Monday. He is tied for 31^st in the field.
• Senior Garrett Willis (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead) posted a 77 on Monday to finish the day at 153 (+9), tied for 21^st.

Inside the Round

• VanArragon eagled the Par-5 11^th hole on Monday.
• Valpo ranks second in the field in both par-3 and par-4 scoring average. The Beacons hold a 3.48 on Par 3s and 4.19 on Par 4s, but the team’s Par-5 scoring average of 5.13 ranks eighth in the nine-team event.
• Valpo has 22 birdies for the tournament, with balanced birdie production coming from Willis, Delisanti and Kostouros with six birdies apiece. VanArragon has just three birdies, but he has gone par or better on 29 of the first 36 holes.

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring

“Our birdie production improved today with the guys making 13 birdies and one eagle. We still didn’t get enough putts to drop, but the guys were hitting their marks on the greens and giving themselves opportunities. Tomorrow we are going to have to be better by leaving the ball on the correct side of the hole and the birdie production will be even better."

“Overall, our shot execution was solid. We had too many doubles and one triple, and we are going to have to eliminate those types of mistakes tomorrow. I’m pleased with the course management, but the big hole scores need to be corrected. Our Par-5 scoring is still not where we need it to be and we have to make better decisions off the tee and with our approach shots to these greens that are reachable. The Par 5s are four of the top five easiest holes on the course.  The Par 3s are four of the six most difficult holes on the course, so we are going to continue to make up shots on the field in playing these holes better.”

“We have a good game plan for tomorrow and our shot execution is going to need to be at its best. This is a familiar position for our team and the guys have a great mindset for tomorrow.  We are looking forward to the opportunity and playing with some poise and determination.”

Up Next

The final round of the MVC Championship will begin with tee times starting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. A link to live scoring via GolfStat is available on ValpoAthletics.com.