April 26, 2008

2008 Patriot League Championship - Day 1 Results

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Navy jumped out to a 6-stroke lead after the opening round of the 2008 Patriot League Golf Championship Saturday and extended it to seven strokes after 36 holes of action to pace the seven-team field in its quest to win the program's fifth Patriot League title. In addition to topping the team standings, Navy senior Erich Schoen (Sylvania, Ohio), junior David Miller (Chillicothe, Ohio) and rookie Ben Hayes (Carmichael, Calif.) are among the top 10 in the individual standings.

"We are happy to be leading the tournament after the first 36 holes, but we certainly realize this is a 54-hole event," said Navy head coach Pat Owen. "We are going to head back out tomorrow and just stick with our game plan. Our goal is to break 300, but bottom line is we want to put forth a great team effort."

Despite chilly, windy conditions at the Saucon Valley Country Club, the Mids built an early lead by turning in the low round to open the day with a 23-over par 311. It held a 6-stroke advantage over Army (317) and a 7-stroke lead over Holy Cross (318) through the first 18 holes. The second round proved to be one of mixed results for many of the teams with some improving dramatically, as in the 28-stroke swing by Lafayette (343-315), while others struggled to improve their scores. Navy shaved four strokes off its first-round score to turn in a pack-leading 42-over par 618 (311-307). Bucknell moved from fourth to second after improving its second round score by 19 strokes. The Bison (322-303=625) trail the Mids by seven strokes, while Colgate stands third (322-313) with a 59-over par 635. Army fell to fourth (317-323) after posting a score six shots higher than in the first round, while Holy Cross dropped into a tie with Lehigh (325-317) for fifth after also adding six shots to its score in the second round (318-324).

"I was pleased with our scores based on the fact that it was a challenging championship course," added Owen. "The greens were firm, fast and sloping. It certainly was challenging."

While Colgate's Richard Hayes stands atop the individual leader board with a 3-over par 147, he holds just a 1-stroke lead over Schoen who put together a pair of 2-over par 74s to settle in at 4-over par 148 and is second in the standings. Miller, meanwhile, is in a three-way tie for third (78-75) with a 9-over par 153. Hayes (78-78), who just one week ago won his first collegiate title at the Mids' home invitational, is tied for seventh with a 12-over par 156.

Junior Ryan Wielgus (Bethesda, Md.), the league's rookie of the year in 2006, is just outside of the top 10 in 13th with a 17-over par 161 (81-80). Team captain and two-time All-Patriot League honoree Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.) is tied for 22nd with a 20-over par 164 (83-81), while freshman Josh Ziska (Camarillo, Calif.) is 31st with a 25-over par 169 (84-85).

Coincidentally, the last time the Patriot League Championship was played at the Saucon Valley Country Club, tournament MVP Brian Crum won the individual title and led the Midshipmen to the 2003 Patriot League Championship crown. The final round is slated to begin Sunday at 8:00 am with the winner of the two-day, 54-hole tournament receiving an automatic bid into one of the three NCAA regional tournaments.