Kats 8th, Ertel 14th from California
2/29/2016 10:33:00 PM | Men's Golf
Through two rounds at the Southwestern Jones Invitational, the Sam Houston State men's golf team sits tied for eighth, led by redshirt junior Andrew Ertel, who is in 14th after two rounds in Westlake Village, Calif. at the Pepperdine hosted event.
“Each week through one round we're competing at a top tier event,” fourth-year head coach Brandt Kieschnick said. “They are up against some power golf programs and have kept it close. I am proud of the way they fought and were managing the golf course.”
The Bearkats are deadlocked with Winthrop at 22-over, 598. Southern California leads play at 24-under, 552, followed by host Pepperdine at 11-under, 565. The Kats are three strokes behind seventh-place Northwestern and just eight back of fifth-place Fresno State.
“Last year we flew up after the Bayou Classic and got there the night before,” Kieschnick said. “This year, we scheduled to go up a couple days early to get used to the grass and the cooler air. This is probably the most prepared they have been leading up to the event and I think it showed. They have a good chance tomorrow. I am very proud of how well they fought.”
Meanwhile, Ertel, who sits at even-par, 144, is in position for his best finish since taking second in the fall opener at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate. The Woodlands product sat tied for fifth after firing an opening round 70 and is currently just eight strokes back of the leader, Jonah Texeira, of USC.
“He had three-under in the first round,” Kieschnick said. “That is his game. He has very good capability. It's good to see him finding his rhythm on a hard golf course. He has a chance to have another good finish.”
Jake McCrory enters the final day tied for 33rd at 149 after following up an opening round 73 with a second round 76. The sophomore is looking to add on to his impressive 26th place showing at The All-American Intercollegiate in Humble.
Camden DeBonis is tied for 40th at 151 after shooting 74 and 77. The freshman took 11th at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate in October and is searching for his first top-40 finish since the event. Mason Weld (77-77 – 154) is tied for 54th and Jesse Massengale (80-78 – 158) is tied for 72nd.
The 15-team field and trip out to California marks the fifth state the Bearkats have competed in over six tournaments. According to Kieschnick, the event, and its competition, play a key role in preparing the Kats for NCAA Regionals action.
“I made the commitment three years ago to broaden our schedule,” Kieschnick said. “Getting west, north and east, we don't want any surprises in postseason play. Any time you see different parts of the country it helps for postseason.”
The third and final round of play begins at 9:30 a.m. CT on Tuesday. Massengale gets underway in the first group, followed by Weld at 9:39 a.m., DeBonis at 9:48 a.m., McCrory at 9:57 a.m. and Ertel at 10:06 a.m. For the latest, follow @BearkatGolf on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
