Kats in the mix at Southland Championship
4/18/2016 9:59:00 PM | Men's Golf
Heading into the Southland Conference Championship, fourth-year Sam Houston State men's golf coach Brandt Kieschnick believed if the team was in contention, good things could happen. Through the opening two rounds at McKinney's Stonebridge Country Club, the Bearkats are right in the mix.
Sam Houston is positioned in third at 16-over, 592, just 13 strokes behind leader McNeese State (579). Sandwiched between the two is Southeastern Louisiana, who enters Tuesday's final round at 16-over, 592.
“The second round we were trying to get guys under par,” Kieschnick said. “On this course, 13 sounds like a lot but it's not. If we can get under par tomorrow, you can make up five shots in two holes. We've been under par for about two months. If each guy does his job, we could catch them after nine.”
Sam Houston's Andrew Ertel (73-71 – 144) moved up from a 12th place tie to finish his opening day tied for third among the field at even par. The junior is just five strokes back of the lead and owned one of 10 eagles on the day, doing so on the seventh hole.
Just one stroke back, and tied for sixth is Jake McCrory (74-71 – 145) who trimmed three strokes off his first-round score and make the Bearkats the only squad with two golfers inside the top six. Along with Ertel, McCrory was particularly efficient on the courses' par 4s, shooting 1-under.
Teammates Camden DeBonis (76-76 – 152) and Jesse Massengale (77-77 – 154) are tied for 24th and 33rd respectively. Mason Weld (74-81 – 155) looks to rebound following a challenging second round that same him fall from tied for 14th to a 35th-place tie.
The Dye Course at Stonebridge Country Club offers challenges of its own but the field was also dealt a daunting weather forecast. With the likelihood of rain each day, the field was successful in getting in 36 holes, cutting the three-day tournament to two.
“The weather forecast was 90 percent each day so we as coaches decided to play Monday if we could,” Kieschnick said. “It rained in the morning but we decided to play as much as we could. We were really fortunate. We're glad we got to play in some good conditions.”
While the Bearkats are in search of a third-straight Southland Conference title, Ertel is seeking his first top-10 finish at the event. The 2015 league honorable mention was sharp on the greens Monday and will hope to continue the success on the final day.
“He kept everything together real well,” Kieschnick said. “His putter saved him and he managed his course really well. He didn't compound mistakes. He fought for each shot. I was really proud of the way he finished.”
Tuesday's final round gets underway at 7:30 a.m. while the first Sam Houston competitors tee off at 9:45 a.m. Weld will get things underway for the Kats followed by Massengale at 9:54 a.m., DeBonis at 10:03 a.m., McCrory at 10:12 a.m. and Ertel at 10:21 a.m.
“Jake shot under par the second round and is at 1-over and Mason played a really good first round,” Kieschnick said. “Camden and Jesse kept their rounds together in tough conditions. These freshmen are really keeping us in it. Each one did their part and that's the ingredient to winning.”
Live scoring will be provided and can be accessed by visiting Southland.org or Golfstatresults.com.
