North Central enters clubhouse as Day 1 leader at UMAC Men's Golf Championship
UMAC Men's Golf Tournament Website
Day 1 Final Results
BREEZY POINT, Minn. – Despite less than favorable conditions on Day 1 of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Men’s Golf Championship, North Central University still came away with a 10-stroke lead over Bethany Lutheran College and the rest of the field to kick off the three-day event. The field of 30 golfers faced temperatures that barely exceeded 40 degrees, wind gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour and a combination of mist and sleet at the Arnold Palmer-designed Deacon’s Lodge, a Par 72, 6,622-yard challenge.
The Rams’ Taylor Murphy and Brady Ohman came into the clubhouse as the top two individuals after Day 1, carding scores of 79 and 81 respectively. Murphy took a seven on the par-five ninth hole and still savaged a 40 on the front nine. The junior responded with a birdie-three on Hole No. 10 to start the back half of the golf course. Ohman, a freshman, didn’t record any birdies on the day, but was consistent in the par category with 12.
Bethany Lutheran’s Josh Willis also shot an 81, leading his Vikings to a second place finish at the end of Day 1. Willis posted three birdies throughout his 18 holes including a four on the par five, 525-yard 18th hole.
Just five of the 30 scores were under 85, with the weather elements adding difficulty to the already tough course that was in excellent shape for the first week of October.
Following North Central and Bethany Lutheran in the team standings was Northwestern College, who finished its first day of competition with a score 352, 15 strokes behind the Rams. Minnesota Morris’ score of 357 slotted the Cougars fourth. Crown College and Martin Luther College will enter Day 2 in fifth and sixth places after first day scores of 380 and 401.
All six teams will be back in action on Friday, with tee times again beginning at 11:02 a.m. Friday’s weather forecast doesn’t look to be much better than the conditions that players faced on Thursday as a high of 40 degrees in addition to another strong wind and precipitation predicted.