BOWLING GREEN, Ohio ? Freshman Coby Thompson (East Galesburg, Ill./Knoxville) made an immediate impact, shooting an even par-72 in the second round to highlight the first day of competition for the Bradley men's golf team at the John Piper Intercollegiate at the Stone Ridge Golf Club.
Thompson and the Braves are in 15th place after 36 holes, shooting 310 in both rounds on Monday. Bradley is six shots behind 14th place Oakland.
Thompson tied for team low-round honors in the morning with a 75 and shot 72 in the afternoon to finish the day tied for 24th place in a field of 78 competitors at 147. He is just three shots back of a five-way tie for sixth place heading into Tuesday's final round.
Sophomore Zach Wanken (Galesburg, Ill.) was the only other Bradley player to shoot a pair of rounds in the 70's, carding rounds of 75 and 76 to finish the day at 151 in a tie for 48th place. Senior Tommie Ackerman (Peoria, Ill./Peoria Christian) followed up a morning round of 82 with a second-round 77 and is in 70th place at 159, while senior Nick Roth (Rochester, Ill./Rochester) and freshman Nate Perry (Normal, Ill./West) are both tied for 76th at 166. Perry turned in rounds of 79 and 87, while Roth shot 81 and 85.
Eastern Kentucky holds a two-shot lead on the field, with a 15-under par 561. Host Bowling Green is in second with a 13-under 563, while Wisconsin-Green Bay is third at even-par 576. Cleveland State is fourth in the team standings at 581 and Ball State is just one shot behind in fifth at 582.
Youngstown State shot 588 to finish the day in sixth place and is followed by Detroit and a second Bowling Green team which are both tied for seventh at 591. Wright State is ninth at 592 and Butler rounded out the top 10 at 597. Ohio is 11th at 598, while St. Bonaventure (599 ? 12th), Dayton (601 ? 13th), Oakland (614 ? 14th) and Bradley (620 ? 15th) round out the field, respectively.
The Braves close out play at the John Piper Intercollegiate Tuesday with one round of play.
