PEORIA, Ill. -- The Bradley men's golf team travels to Hollister, Mo., to take part in the 11th annual Branson Creek Invitational Monday and Tuesday at the par-71 Branson Creek Golf Club. The Braves have played in the Branson Creek Invitational each of the last four years and eight of the past nine seasons.
The 54-hole tournament opens Monday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start and will include 36 holes on the opening day of play. The 12-team field wraps up play Tuesday with one round beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Freshman Travis Kreiter (Brimfield, Ill./Brimfield) has come on strong down the stretch, shooting in the 70's each of his last seven rounds. On the heels of earning medalist honors at the Bulldog Florida Invitational during spring break, he carded rounds of 72 and 76 to tie for ninth at the Beu/Mussatto Invitational in Macomb, Ill., earlier this week. Kreiter is averaging 74.0 strokes per round over the last two tournaments.
Monday's opening round will be the 100th career round for senior Coby Thompson (East Galesburg, Ill./Knoxville), who enters the Branson Creek Invitational seventh in school history with 77 career rounds in the 70's. Thompson needs just three sub-80 rounds to become the fourth player in program history with 80 career rounds of 79 or better.
Thompson will be playing in the Branson Creek Invitational for the fourth consecutive year and owns a career 77.7 stroke average in the event. Last year he closed out play with rounds of 72 and 73 to tie for seventh. Thompson has shot in the 70's each of his last five rounds at the Branson Creek Golf Club and has posted a 76.0 average in his last two tournaments at the venue.
Freshman Daniel Young (Metamora, Ill./Metamora) carded his lowest round of the spring to close out play at the Beu/Mussatto Invite en route to his third top-20 finish of the year. He is third on the squad with a 78.3 stroke average on the year.
In addition to tournament host Missouri State, the field includes Valley rivals Drake and Southern Illinois. The Braves will also face in-state foes Eastern Illinois, SIU Edwardsville and Western Illinois in addition to Houston Baptist, South Dakota, Stephen F. Austin, UMKC and Western Kentucky.
