NORMAL, Ill. – The Carleton College men's golf team sits in third place after the first round of the 41-team Illinois Wesleyan Invitational.
Carleton, listed at No. 25 in the latest Golfweek D-III Coaches Poll and No. 27 in the Scoreboard by Clippd rankings, posted a team score of 291 (+3) over the first 18 holes and sit one stroke behind the "B" squad from No. 17/18 Gustavus Adolphus. Tournament host No. 8/9 Illinois Wesleyan finished Friday with a team score of 281 (-7). The field includes seven other nationally-ranked programs.
Justin Rodriguez led the Knights with an opening-round 70 (-2) to put him in a tie for sixth place on the 255-player leaderboard. He carded four birdies on the day.
Sam Higaki was next for Carleton with a 73 (+1). He was four-over par after six holes but birdied three of the next six holes and shot a team-best 34 on the back nine. He is 29th on the leaderboard.
Gordon Walker started his round with a birdie and finished with an opening-round 74 (+2), matching the score of
Oscar Peche. This duo tied for fourth in the field with 14 pars on Friday.
Dillon Croco, the other member of the Carleton starting lineup, finished the first round with a score of 84.
Gareth Birney and
Austin Mak, playing as individual entrants, carded a 76 (+4) and 77 (+5), respectively.
Up Next for the Knights
Half the field, including Carleton, played Friday at Ironwood Golf Course, while the other half teed it up at Weibring Golf Club. Weather permitting, the teams will change venues for Saturday's second round, which begins at 9:00 a.m.
