SPRING, Texas – The Bradley men's golf team turned in its two lowest rounds of the young spring season to finish the opening day of play at the Colin Montgomerie Invitational tied with Texas-Rio Grande Valley for seventh in the team standings.
The Braves followed up an opening round six-over 294 in the first round with a 295 in the afternoon to close Monday tied for seventh in the 15-team field at the par-72Traditions of Cypresswood Golf Club
Freshman Drake Bushong (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) continued his strong play with a first-round 72 and is tied for 20th overall at 146 after shooting a second-round 74. The pair of 70's pushed Bushong's streak of consecutive sub-80 rounds to 17.
Junior Bobby Jacobs (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) opened play with his lowest round since his freshman year with a 72. He shot a three-over 75 in the afternoon to end Monday's action one shot behind Bushong in a tie for 25th at 147.
Senior Lyle Burns (Mahomet, Ill./Seymour/Parkland) is two shots behind Buschong in a tie with sophomore Matthew Specht (Munster, Ind./Munster) for 29th at 148. Both individuals followed up morning round 75's with their lowest round of the spring with matching one-over 73's in the day's second round.
Senior Garrett Cox (Mahomet, Ill./Seymour) carded his lowest round of the spring with a first-round 75. Cox fired a 77 in the afternoon and is tied for 49th at 152 to round the team scoring for the Braves.
Tournament-host Houston Baptist has the top teams in the field with one squad finishing the first day at 13-under 563 and the second team nine shots back at four-under 572. Central Arkansas is third in the standings at 583, three shots ahead of fourth-place Weber State (586). Oral Roberts and Nicholls State are tied for fifth (587), two shots ahead of Bradley and Texas-Rio Grande Valley, which are tied for seventh (589).
The Braves have a two-shot advantage on ninth-place Abilene Christian (591) and 10-shot lead on 10th-place Northern Kentucky (599). Incarnate Word and St. Thomas (Texas) will enter Tuesday's final round tied for 11th at 608, with the trio of New Orleans, Western Illinois and North Dakota rounding out the field in a three-way tie for 13th at 609.
The final round of the Colin Montgomerie Invitational is scheduled to tee off Tuesday at 8 a.m.
