Bruins make cut; sit seventh after day two at NAIA Championship
SILVIS, Ill. -- Following up their strong first round, the Bellevue University men's golf team shot 4-over as a unit on Thursday in the second round of the NAIA Men's Golf National Championship at TPC at Deere Run (Par 71, 6,809 yards).
The Bruins are comfortably inside the 15-team cut line, sitting seventh overall in the 29-team field, as they advance to Friday's final round.
With their 4-over score on Thursday, Bellevue is now 9-over through 36 holes and alone in seventh place, just three strokes back of a spot in the top five.
Lindsey Wilson College (569) jumped two spots with a 2-under second round to take the team lead at 1-over. They are now one stroke ahead of second place Keiser University (570). Wayland Baptist University (571), who began the day four strokes ahead shot 7-over as a group to slip to third place. Oklahoma City University (572) is in fourth place while The Master's University and Dalton State College are tied for fifth at 6-over (574).
Kyle Dale led the way for BU as he turned in a 1-under 70 for his lowest round of the spring. He made birdies on No. 17 (550-yard, par 5), No. 1 (416-yard, par 4), and No. 5 (429-yard, par 4) while adding 17 pars and a lone bogey. Through two rounds, he is Bellevue's top golfer in 21st place at 1-over.
Cayden Wynne fired a 2-under round entering the final hole before settling for even-par 71 on Thursday. He made birdies on No. 11 (428-yard, par 40), No. 16 (153-yard, par 3), No. 17, No. 2 (551-yard, par 5), and No 6 (361-yard, par 4). He is in 80th place at 8-over.
Thomas Gatlin posted a 3-over 74, making birdies on No. 16 and the 485-yard, par 4 No. 9. After starting on No. 10, he followed up a 39 on the back nine with an even-par 35 on the front. He is 3-over through two rounds of play and in 31st place overall.
Matching Gatlin with a 3-over 74 of his own was Dylan Rodgers. Rodgers shot 37 on both the front and the back with his lone birdie coming on the 208-yard, par 3 No. 12. He is in 90th place overall at 9-over.
Bellevue's low scorer from Wednesday, Totte Uhlan, shot 8-over 79 on Thursday. He began the day tied for third in the individual leaderboard, He birdies the 463-yard, par 4 No. 18 and the 380-yard, par 4 No 8 as he dropped to 42nd place overall.
Dalton State's Jack Whaley remains the individual leader at 9-under (133). Lindsey Wilson's Rio Saigal made a huge gain on the leaderboard with a 4-under second round and is now just two strokes back at 7-under (135). Faulkner's Rodolphe Cicala and Webber International's Vendant Sirohi are tied for third at 5-under (137). Through two rounds, 15 golfers are below par and five more are even.
Third round play begins tomorrow at 8 a.m. in the rain-shortened 54-hole NAIA National Championship.