MACOMB, Ill. -- Freshman Daniel Young (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) carded his lowest round of the spring, shooting a three-over 75 and fellow freshman Kyle Gunther (Dunlap, Ill./Peoria Christian) also shot a 75 in the final round to help the Bradley men's golf team move into eighth in the final team standings at the 39th annual Beu/Mussatto Invitational Tuesday.
The Braves were ninth after Monday's opening round and second round play was suspended later that day due to darkness. The teams were unable to return to course until noon Tuesday because of cold temperatures and snow before finishing up second round action this afternoon. The third round, originally scheduled for Tuesday, was cancelled.
Young and Gunther turned in the lowest second rounds for the Braves with both firing rounds of 75 to help BU shoot 305 and move up one spot into eighth in the final standings.
Freshman Travis Kreiter (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield) turned in his second straight top-10 finish, tying for ninth at 148 to pace Bradley in the tournament. Kreiter was tied for third in the individual standings entering the second round, but slipped to ninth after carding a second-round 76.
Young was one shot better in the second round (75) and tied for 16th at 151 to finish in the top 20 for the second consecutive tournament. Senior Coby Thompson (East Galesburg, Ill./Knoxville) moved into seventh in school history in career rounds in the 70's, carding a final round 79. Thompson recorded his 77th career sub-80 round and tied Gunther for 43nd in the standings at 158.
Sophomore Corey Verseman (Galesburg, Ill./Galesburg) rounded out the team scoring for the Braves with a final round 85 and tied for 73rd overall at 168.
Tournament-host Western Illinois won the team title by three shots with a two-round total of 593 to edge second-place finisher South Dakota State (596). Wisconsin-Green Bay was eight shots behind the Leathernecks in third (601) and North Dakota State was 12 off the pace in fourth at 605. Eastern Illinois rounded out the top five at 606 and IPFW followed in sixth (608).
Oakland finished six shots ahead of the Braves in seventh (609), while Bradley's second round 305 moved BU up one spot into eighth at 615. The Braves were nine shots better than ninth place South Dakota (624) and 10 shots ahead of St. Francis (10th - 625). St. Ambrose captured 11th (629) with Western Illinois - Gold (12th - 632), Truman State (13th - 640), Monmouth (14th - 648), Illinois Central College (15th - 651) and Chicago State (16th - 711) completing the field, respectively.
Bradley returns to action April 4 & 5 at the Branson Creek Invitational in Branson, Mo., before taking part in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship April 25 & 26 in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
