Crown Enters Clubhouse as Day 1 Leader at UMAC Men's Golf Championship
2014 UMAC Men's Golf Championship Website
Video Interview with Day 1 Individual Leaders: Reed Sorensen and Parker Lippold
Day 1 Results
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. – Crown College emerged as the top team at Day 1 of the 2014 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Men’s Golf Championship at the Alexandria Golf Club in Alexandria, Minnesota. The seven team field played through on and off precipitation for the majority of the first day of the three-day tournament.
The Storm had a nine stroke lead over second place Bethany Lutheran College at the turn and never looked back finishing the day 12 strokes ahead of the second place Vikings. Reed Sorensen and Parker Lippold led the way for Crown and tied for the top individual performance of the day, both shooting an 18-hole score of 74 on the Par 72, 6,570-yard course. The Storm had all five golfers turn in individual scores tied for fifth or better.
Bethany Lutheran’s Josh Hansen finished in third place in the Day 1 individual standings after shooting a score of 76 which included 12 pars. Teammates Kiley Miller and Jonathan Pederson both turned in 18-hole scores of 78 on the day to help the Vikings to a comfortable second place finish.
Following Crown and Bethany Lutheran in the team standings was Martin Luther College who finished the first day of competition with a team score of 329, just one stroke ahead of fourth place University of Minnesota Morris. The Knights’ Eric Hansen finished the day with three birdies and a score of 79. John Geiger was the top individual performer for the Cougars with a Day 1 score of 77 in a three-way tie for fifth individually.
Northland College finished the day in fifth place in the team standings while the University of Northwestern will enter Day 2 in sixth place after turning in a team score of 339, just two strokes behind fifth place Northland. North Central University rounded out Thursday’s field finishing with a team score of 344, leaving three teams within seven-strokes heading into the second day of the tournament.
All seven teams will be back in action on Friday, with tee times scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and weather forecast predicting cool temperatures and precipitation once again.
The winner of the 2014 UMAC Men’s Golf Championship will earn the league’s automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina in May.