Lamar golf tied for 8th after first day

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Lamar golf tied for 8th after first day

SUGAR GROVE, Ill. - Lamar University's first day at the Rich Harvest Farms golf course in Friday's opening round of the NCAA Central Regional should have required a truckload of Excedrin and a couple of gallons of Pepto-Bismol after it was over.

Despite the blue clouds, emerald green surroundings and the nearby farms with summer corn just sprouting above the soil, play on the course proved an ugly counterpart to the spring scenery. Only one team out of the 27 competing at the regional, the University of Louisville, finished at less than 15-over par, and only four players out of 140 shot a round under par on Friday.

In addition to the skinny fairways, punishing rough and greens that played like a pool table, not helping matters for Lamar were a steady wind and rust from a nearly 30-day layoff. That all added up to a plus-25 showing in the first round. When the Cardinals completed their final shots, they sat outside the top 10 in a tie for 13th, but as other teams wrapped up in the late afternoon, they moved into a tie for eighth.

Louisville leads the way at 6-over, and the University of Texas is second at 15-over par. The top 10 teams from this three-day regional advance to the NCAA Championships in Williamsburg, Va., on May 30 to June 2.

"I knew we were rusty, and it was just really poor golf on our part," Lamar coach Brian White said. "The course was rough, especially with the wind blowing at 25 mph and the greens firmed up. We thought the morning group had the worst part. We ended up having the worst part because the greens were so firm. The golf course is a course where good shots aren't necessarily rewarded, but bad shots are punished."

While four of the five Lamar golfers shot 80 or worse, junior Dawie Van Der Walt was one of those rare golfers under par. He finished with a 1-under 71 putting him in a tie for second and one shot back of Louisville's Derek Fathauer. The day might have ended strong for Van Der Walt, but it didn't start that way, especially on hole No. 8.

On the third hole, the Lamar junior's chip shot shuttled across the greens, on the back side of a sloping hill and into a bunker. He managed to save par, but couldn't avoid a bogey on the next hole when his long putt hit the lip of the cup and went left.

Fortunes looked brighter when he birdied two of the next three holes, but on the eighth hole, Van Der Walt hit his approach shot into the water. After moving up a couple yards to re-hit, he nearly got it wet again. He ended No. 8 with a 15-foot putt for double bogey.

The Cardinals top golfer regrouped and would play mistake-free after that, finishing with a pair of birdies on the back nine.

"Luckily, I've been in that situation a couple of times before," Van Der Walt said. "I just had to do some damage control, make sure I got a six and not a seven. I had a good putt to make a six. I can always get it back and make a birdie elsewhere."

Lamar will attempt to tackle the course during a second round today that should see warmer temperatures and lighter winds.

"We will play much better tomorrow," White said. "We can't shoot any worse than that. That's as bad as we can play."