(MSUB Athletics release)
LAS VEGAS – Junior Garrett Woodin carded an even-par 72 on Tuesday in the opening round of the Winona State University Warrior Invitational, leading the Montana State University Billings men’s golf team at Stallion Mountain Golf Club.
Woodin is in a tie for eighth place with one round of action remaining on the par-72, 7,152-yard course. “I can tell Garrett is going to have a good spring, and he has matured as a player,” said MSUB head coach Jeff Allen. “He is becoming the kind of player you can count on for a solid round every time. Garrett drove the ball well today, and he has worked very hard on his putting the last few days.”
The Yellowjacket men shot a team score of 306, and are in eighth place among the field of 12 teams at the abbreviated, two-round event. “The men are getting closer from top-to-bottom,” said Allen. “We are getting a little more consistent, and the guys are managing their games a little better. Last tournament was a wakeup call for them, and the guys are just starting to get a better feel of their game.”
Woodin’s fifth round at par or better of the season featured a pair of birdies and an eagle, and only one significant mistake with a double-bogey on the par-4 16th hole. After back-to-back bogeys on Hole 3 and Hole 4, Woodin kicked it into gear by making par or better on each of the next 11 holes. He notched a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole, and followed that by canning a 120-yard approach shot to save a pair of strokes on the par-4 seventh hole.
It was smooth sailing after that, save for the 16th, as Woodin made par in 10 of his final 11 holes of the day.
Riley Kaercher and Caleb Trost each shot a score of 76 on Tuesday, and are in a tie for 28th place. Kaercher limited his mistakes on Tuesday, as he carded nothing worse than a bogey. His round also featured three birdies, including back-to-back holes with a stroke save on Hole 6 and Hole 7. “I was happy to see Riley shoot a 76,” said Allen. “He has been working hard the last few days getting control of the golf ball.”
Trost posted an efficient front-nine, with a mark of even-par 36. Two of his three birdies came on Hole 2 and Hole 6, and he played at 2-under par over his first seven holes of the day.
Logan Martin shot a score of 82 on Tuesday and he currently sits in a tie for 61st place. Martin had three birdies as well, and got better as the day progressed as he played the back-nine at just 2-over-par 38.
Payton Stott also competed for the ‘Jackets on Tuesday, and posted a score of 84. Stott made birdies on Hole 13 and Hole 18, but struggled with four double bogeys on the day.
Indianapolis leads the team race after Round 1, as it shot a score of 4-under-par 284 to go three strokes ahead of second-place Rocky Mountain College. Indianapolis’s Ian Carroll is the individual leader, as he shot a tournament-best 68 and has a one-stroke advantage atop the leaderboard.
THE BUZZ: Woodin was tabbed the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day.
NEXT UP: The second and final round of the event is scheduled to tee off at 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
Winona State University Warrior Invitational
Round 1 Results | March 12, 2019
Stallion Mountain Golf Club | Las Vegas, Nevada
Team – 1. Indianapolis, 284; 8. MSU Billings, 306. Individuals – 1. Ian Carroll, Indianapolis, 68; T8. Garrett Woodin, MSUB, 72; T28. Caleb Trost, MSUB, 76; T28. Riley Kaercher, MSUB, 76; T61. Logan Martin, MSUB, 82; T68. Payton Stott, MSUB, 84.
Seniors Shealyn Hafer and Sarah Schroefel led the way for MSUB’s women Tuesday.
Hafer is in a tie for second place, after carding a 1-over-par 73 on the par-72, 5,929-yard course layout. Schroefel is just two strokes behind in a tie for sixth, after reaching her personal best as a Yellowjacket with a 75.
The big performances lifted MSUB into second place as a team, with the Yellowjackets shooting a score of 306 to sit six strokes behind tournament leader Rocky Mountain College. It marked the lowest team round of the 2018-19 season thus far, and tied for the sixth-lowest round in school history.
“Overall I was very pleased with how the women responded today from our final round in the last event,” said MSUB head coach Jeff Allen, after the women finished last week’s Beaver Invitational with a round of 341. “We worked hard the last two days between tournaments, and put in a lot of quality practice time. We tried to learn from our mistakes from our last round, and I feel like they came out with a great level of intensity and concentration. They played a solid round of golf all around.”
Hafer shook off a slow start to her round, as she bogeyed two of her first four holes of the day. The senior peaked around the turn, as she carded three straight birdies on holes nine-through 11 and played holes nine-through-14 at 4-under par. “I didn’t start well, but I kept my composure and really came back on my back-nine,” Hafer said. “I struggled off the tee, but Jeff has been working with us on the greens a lot and I feel like that paid off today.”
Hafer saved the most strokes around the greens, needing just one putt on 11 of her 18 holes. She played the four par-3 holes at 1-under par, and the four par-5 holes at even-par as well. “Shealyn really scored well,” Allen said. “She really scrambled very nicely, and putted great. That just shows how resilient she is and how much of a grinder she is. Anytime you have six birdies in a round, you hope you don’t offset it with bogeys. She showed her toughness and her ability to settle into her round.”
Schroefel also shook off an early bump in the road, as she posted a double bogey on her second hole of the day. She immediately responded with a birdie on the par-3 second hole however, and cruised through the front-nine at 1-under-par 35. The highlight of her round was an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole, as she hit a good drive and planted her second shot to eight feet. “It was a solid round, and I birdied that par-3 before the eagle which gave me some momentum,” Schroefel said. “Jeff really had us working on putting drills Sunday and yesterday, so I felt really confident on the greens. I hit 11 fairways and 13 greens, which made the round pretty smooth for me today.”
Schroefel then made seven pars on the back nine, coming in with a 40 to solidify her top round of the year. “I’m very happy for Sarah to respond this way,” Allen said after a frustrating mark of 90 in her most recent round on Saturday. “She works hard and has been really close to playing solid rounds. I’m really happy that she played that well today, and we really needed it. It is great to see our two lowest scores out of our seniors. Sarah has a ton of talent, and it’s nice to see her have this success.”
Also in the top-10 for MSUB is freshman Tierney Messmer, who finished the day with a 5-over-par 77. Messmer had a pair of birdies during her round, and took a page out of Schroefel’s book as she also eagled the par-5 sixth hole.
Sophomore Renae Heisler is in a tie for 15th place after the opening round, after coming back to the clubhouse with an 81. Heisler’s lone birdie on Tuesday came on the par-5 sixth hole, and she also had eight pars her firs time through the course.
Kinsey Irvin wrapped up her first round in a tie for 29th place, with an 88 on Tuesday. Sophomore Sydney Rochford competed as an individual on Tuesday, and was close behind Heisler with an 82.
“I am proud of how we performed as a team today,” said Hafer, the Yellowjackets’ captain. “We are in a good spot going into tomorrow.”
THE BUZZ: Hafer was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…her previous low round was a 75 which she achieved on two different occasions, and most recently on April 23, 2018…Schroefel’s previous single-round low was a 77, which she reached on two occasions including most recently on April 16, 2018…MSUB’s last round of 306 or better was on April 10, 2017 at the Western New Mexico University Mustang Invitational…as a team MSUB played the par-5 sixth hole at 6-under-par…MSUB had two of the four eagles recorded on the day…
NEXT UP: The tournament concludes on Wednesday morning with the second and final round of action at 8 a.m.
Winona State University Warrior Invitational
Round 1 Results | March 12, 2019
Stallion Mountain Golf Club | Las Vegas, Nevada
Team – 1. Rocky Mountain College, 300; 2. MSU Billings, 306. Individuals – 1. Shi Qing, Missouri Western State, 71; T2. Shealyn Hafer, MSUB, 73; T6. Sarah Schroefel, MSUB, 75; 9. Tierney Messmer, MSUB, 77; T15. Renae Heisler, MSUB, 81; T19. Sydney Rochford, MSUB (IND), 82; T29. Kinsey Irvin, MSUB, 88.
