MG leads ASC Tournament by one stroke

04/21/08

Anna, TX - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's golf team battled back from a first-round deficit and the Cru holds a one-stroke lead after the first day of the American Southwest Conference Tournament Monday in Anna. The UMHB men fired a 300-297=597 total and the Cru holds a one-shot lead over second-place Texas Lutheran University's 296-302=598 total. U.T.-Tyler is in third place with a 303-307=610, McMurry University is fourth with a 313-314=627, U.T.-Dallas is in fifth place at 314-314=628, LeTourneau University (309-323) and Hardin-Simmons University (318-314) are tied for sixth place with 632's and Mississippi College is in eighth place after shooting 333-323=656. The two-day, 54-hole event is being played on a par-72, 7,027-yard layout at Hurricane Creek Golf Course in Anna.

UMHB's Eric White has the tournament's individual lead after posting a 73-70=143. White is four strokes ahead of Texas Lutheran's Jeff Rein (72-75=147). UMHB's Ryan Eastman shot 77-72=149 and is tied for fourth place, Davis Dewald is tied for seventh place after carding a 74-77=151, Casey Wharton shot 76-79=155 and Garrison Nordt is tied for 18th place after posting a 78-78=156 for the Cru.

"We just tried to go out today and do what we could do," Cru head coach Randy Mann said. "We just wanted to control our emotions and take care of ourselves and do what we had control of and not focus on the others. Now we just to go out and play well again tomorrow."

The tournament will wrap up with 18 more holes tomorrow. Teams will tee off with a shotgun start at 8:30 AM. The ASC Tournament champion will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III National Championships in May.