The University of Evansville men’s golf team sits seventh after the first day of the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Championship at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
In the first round of the championship, the Purple Aces carded a 324 as a team placing Evansville eighth in the nine-team field. The Aces responded in the second round with a 16-stroke improvement, recording a 308 to move UE up a spot to seventh after the opening day. Bradley holds the lead after the first day as the Braves tallied a two-round total of 587 (298 – 289) giving Bradley a 19-stroke lead over second-place Illinois State.
Sophomore Cameron Weyer led the Evansville contingent, closing the opening day in a tie for 23rd. Weyer began the day with a first-round 82 before tying his third-best round of the year with a one-over 73 in the second round.
The second-lowest score by a Purple Ace on the first day was tallied by senior Tyler Gray. Like Weyer, Gray opened the championship with an 82 in the first round, but responded with a 76 in the second round, placing Gray in 28th. Just one stroke behind Gray is freshman Spencer Wagner, who recorded an 81 in the first round followed by a 78 to close the day in the second round, giving Wagner a two-round-total of 159.
Continuing the string of Aces one stroke off of one another is sophomore, Matthew Ladd. The Evansville native led UE after the first round with a team-best round of 79 before rounding out the first day with an 81, putting Ladd in a tie for 31st.
Remaining consistent in the opening two rounds was junior Noah Reese. Carding an 82 in the first round, Reese improved by one stroke in the second round with an 81 as the junior finished the opening day in a tie for 40th.
The 2018 MVC Championship comes to a close on Tuesday with the final round of competition with teams teeing-off at 8 a.m. at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
