Deacons Off To Slow Start At PING Preview
10/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 2, 2006
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Twenty-fifth-ranked Wake Forest had very little luck today at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in the opening round of the PING Preview. The Demon Deacons are in 14th place out of a strong field of 15 teams at the same course that will host the 2007 NCAA Championship.
The 54-hole tournament continues with 18 holes Tuesday and Wednesday at the par 70, 6,809-yard layout and site of the May 30-June 2 NCAA Championship.
Sixth-ranked Georgia, the only team to shoot under par today, holds a narrow lead following a cumulative 1-under 279. Texas A&M is one shot back at even par, followed by 5th-ranked Florida (+1), Oklahoma State (+2) and UNLV (+3). Wake Forest (+15), despite having several teams to chase, is just 16 shots out of the lead.
Wake Forest was led by junior Chris McCartin, who bogied the first two holes then reeled off 16 consecutive pars for a 2-over 72. Junior Webb Simpson shot a 3-over 73, a round that included a double-bogey on the 10th hole. Sophomore Dustin Groves played his final nine holes even par for a 4-over 74. Senior Sean Moore had an up-and-down round of 6-over 76 with a back nine resulting in five bogies, two birdies and two pars.
Deacon freshman Brendan Gielow, who finished third in his first college tournament recently at the Carpet Capital Collegiate, may have had the most unusual round of the day. Gielow holed an eagle two on the par four 11th hole, then struggled to a triple-bogey six on the par three 12th hole.
Three players -- Texas A&M's Robert Gates, Arizona State's Niklas Lemke and Oklahoma State's Pablo Martin -- are tied for first place after shooting 3-under 67s. Four players are one shot back at 2-under. Only 11 players in total shot under par for the day.
Team Standings
Georgia 279 -1
Texas A&M 280 E
Florida 281 +1
Oklahoma State 282 +2
UNLV 283 +3
Lamar 285 +5
Arizona State 287 +7
BYU 287 +7
Georgia Tech 288 +8
Clemson 290 +10
Minnesota 290 +10
Kentucky 292 +12
VCU 294 +14
Wake Forest 295 +15
Washington 298 +18
Individual Leaders
Niklas Lemke (Arizona State) 67 -3
Pablo Martin (Oklahoma State) 67 -3
Robert Gates (Texas A&M) 67 -3
C.J. Gatto (UNLV) 68 -2
Chris Kirk (Georgia) 68 -2
Bronson LaCassie (Minnesota) 68 -2
Tim McKenney (Florida) 68 -2
Wake Forest Scores
Chris McCartin 72 +2
Webb Simpson 73 +3
Dustin Groves 74 +4
Sean Moore 76 +6
Brendan Gielow 77 +7
Players Mentioned
