University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers in Ninth After Opening Round
5/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
The University of Minnesota men's golf team is in ninth place after the opening round of the NCAA Men's Golf East Regional in Galloway, N.J. The Gophers, playing with a lineup that includes three players making their NCAA Regional debut, carded a first round 314 on the par 71, 7,022 yard Tom Fazio-designed Galloway National Golf Club.
At 30-over-par, the Gophers are 18 shots behind tournament leader Tennessee, but only seven shots behind Big Ten Conference foe Illinois for fifth place. The top five teams advance to the NCAA Championships in Toledo, Ohio. The Gophers are looking to advance to the championships for the ninth time since 1998. The entire team leaderboard is listed below.
The Gophers were led by freshman Derek Chang with a 4-over par 75 on Thursday. Chang, who finished in a tie for third place at the 2009 Big Ten Championships, is in a tie for 15th individually. Junior Thomas Campbell fired a 78 and is tied for 27th.
Seniors Yu Katayama and Victor Almstrom carded first round scores of 79 and 82 and are tied for 36th and 55th, respectively. Junior Ben Pisani, the Gophers scoring leader in both the fall and spring seasons, recorded an 85 and is in a tie for 65th place.
The second round of the 2009 NCAA East Regional is scheduled to get underway at 7:30 a.m. Central. Pisani will be the first Gopher to tee off on Friday (9:10) followed by Almstrom (9:20), Katayama (9:30), Campbell (9:40) and Chang (9:50).
The entire second round of the regional can be followed live at www.golfstat.com.
NCAA East Regional (Galloway, N.J.)
1. Tennessee, 296 (+12)
2. Wake Forest, 297 (+13)
3. Virginia, 298 (+14)
4. Alabama, 303 (+19)
5. Illinois, 307 (+23)
6. Clemson, 310 (+26)
7. Colorado State, 311 (+27)
8. Kent State, 312 (+28)
9. Minnesota, 314 (+30)
10. VCU, 315 (+31)
T11. Penn State, 319 (+35)
T11. Coastal Carolina, 319 (+35)
13. Sacred Heart, 321 (+37)
14. Columbia, 355 (+71)
Gopher Scores
T15 Derek Chang, 75 (+4)
T27 Thomas Campbell, 78 (+7)
T36 Yu Katayama, 79 (+8)
T55 Victor Almstrom, 82 (+11)
T65 Ben Pisani, 85 (+14)
Players Mentioned
