Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons 18 Strokes Back After NCAA Opening Round
5/30/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 30, 2007
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- After shooting a 13-over par 293 in the opening round of the NCAA Championships here Wednesday, 22nd-ranked and 28th-seed Wake Forest will need to climb out of a hole to get back in contention for a national championship.
Good thing for the Demon Deacons that they have proved to be good climbers. Two weeks ago at the NCAA West Regional ago Wake Forest rallied in the second and third rounds just to advance to the NCAA Championships.
Wake Forest is tied for 26th place (out of 30 teams) after the first round of the 72-hole championship, held this year at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Course. The Deacons trail team leader Stanford by 18 strokes, a distant but attainable deficit in the world of college golf.
"Obviously, not the start we wanted," 10th-year coach Jerry Haas said. "But this is the kind of course that with a good score you can get right back in it. I think at the end of four days that par will be a very good score. We just need to put together three good days and we'll be right there."
Stanford, which shot a sizzling 5-under par 275, holds a three stroke lead. Four teams -- Florida, Coastal Carolina, Minnesota and Texas -- are tied for second place after shooting a 2-under 278. Ironically, Minnesota and Texas were paired with Wake Forest in Wednesday's round and the Golden Gophers and Longhorns are seeded 29th and 30th, respectively.
The Golden Horseshoe Golf Course, with its narrow fairways, proved to be difficult in the opening round. Of 156 players in the tournament, only 28 shot under par.
Stanford's Rob Grube holds a two-stroke lead in the race for individual honors after shooting a 6-under par 64. Florida's Tim McKenney is alone in second place after shooting a 4-under 66. Three players are tied for third at 3-under 67.
Sophomore Dustin Groves and freshman Brendan Gielow, making their first appearance in the NCAA Championships, were bright spots for the Demon Deacons. Groves shot a 1-over 71 on the par 70, 6,803-yard layout. Gielow and junior All-American Webb Simpson both shot 2-over 72.
Groves was 4-over par through 10 holes before coming through with birdies on 11, 13, 14 and 16. Groves, a Kesswick (Va.) native, took bogey on the 17th hole and finished the opening round 1-over par.
Gielow's 2-over 72 included one double-bogey, one chip-in for birdie and a birdie on the extremely difficult par 3 12th hole. Simpson was 2-under par through nine holes but then bogied four of the next six holes. He closed the round with a birdie on 16 and a bogey on 18, the result of an errant tee shot.
Deacon senior Sean Moore shot 8-over par 78 and junior Chris McCartin, an Arlington (Va.) native, struggled home with a 9-over 79. McCartin, who entered the day having shot in the 60s in four consecutive rounds, had two double-bogies on the back nine.
"We have a group of tough guys," Haas said. "There is no doubt that they will bounce right back."
It was a difficult day for the ACC in general. Out of five ACC teams in the championship, only Florida State (tied for ninth) is in the top 10.
The second round, which is forecasted to be played in high temperatures and humidity, is scheduled for Thursday. The 30-team field will be cut in half after Friday's third round and the final 18 holes will be played on Saturday.
Wake Forest will tee-off at approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday. Live scoring can be found at www.golfstat.com.
NCAA Championships
May 30-June 2, 2007
Golden Horseshoe Golf Club / Williamsburg, Va.
30 teams / Par 70 / 6,803 yards
Team Standings
Stanford 275 -5
Florida 278 -2
Minnesota 278 -2
Coastal Carolina 278 -2
Texas 278 -2
Charlotte 279 -1
East Tennessee St. 280 E
Georgia 282 +2
Florida State 283 +3
Michigan State 283 +3
UCLA 283 +3
Alabama 284 +4
Tulsa 284 +4
Tennessee 284 +4
Vanderbilt 284 +4
Lamar 285 +5
Arizona State 286 +6
Georgia State 286 +6
Oklahoma State 287 +7
Georgia Tech 288 +8
Louisville 288 +8
North Carolina 289 +9
Southern California 289 +9
Arizona 290 +10
South Carolina 291 +11
Wake Forest 293 +13
New Mexico 293 +13
Texas Tech 293 +13
Duke 294 +14
Auburn 295 +15
Top Individuals
Rob Grube (Stan) 64 -6
Tim McKenney (Fla) 66 -4
Bronson LaCassie (Min) 67 -3
Matthew Savage (FSU) 67 -3
Cameron Tringale (GT) 67 -3
Wake Forest Scores
Dustin Groves 71 +1 51st
Webb Simpson 72 +2 66th
Brendan Gielow 72 +2 66th
Sean Moore 78 +8 146
Chris McCartin 79 +9 152
TEAM 293 +13 26th
Players Mentioned
