HOW IT HAPPENED
The Red and White had a strong opening round in Louisiana. Just one stroke out of the top-five, WKU shot a 4-over 292 on the day. In his first appearance for WKU, Rafe Blankenship led the way and cemented himself near the top of the leaderboard after turning in a 2-under 70 first round. Nic Hofman and Gage Doyle are both inside the top-30, tying for 29th. Also making his debut for the Tops, Trevor Drew ended his day with a 5-over 77. Senior Stephen Warren turned in a 4-over 76 and is currently just two strokes out of the top-50.
NOTABLES
- Currently tied for fifth, Rafe Blankenship turned in his third collegiate career-best round, turning in a 2-under 70 first round. Blankenship put in three birdies and an eagle on his second hole.
- Nic Hofman and Gage Doyle each had strong opening rounds for WKU, both posting a 1-over 73. Both are just one stroke out of being in the top-20.
- The Red and White put in 14 total birdies in the first round. Gage Doyle led the way for WKU in birdies, putting in five of his own.
- WKU is just one stroke from moving into the top-five.
QUOTABLE
"We're in the game and not in a bad spot after day 1, I felt like everyone had a lot of really good moments but we have plenty of things to clean up for the next two rounds" said head coach Austin King. "The greens are firm and we have some wind as well so you have to be patient and manage your game out here, which I think will continue to be a good thing for us."
NEXT UP
The Tops will be set for round two of the tournament tomorrow morning. The pairings for the second round have yet to be announced.
Live Scoreboard
Results – Team Round 1
1. Rice-- 286
t-1. South Alabama-- 286
3. Houston-- 287
4. Louisiana-- 288
5. Troy-- 276
t-8. WKU-- 292
Results-- WKU Final
t-5th. Rafe Blankenship – 70
t-30th. Gage Doyle-- 73
t-30th. Nic Hofman-- 73
t-67th. Stephen Warren-- 76
t-76th. Trevor Drew-- 77
