Sept. 16, 2012
18-Hole Results
By Gary Petit (@GaryWFU), Wake Forest Athletic Communications
BURLINGTON, Iowa - Wake Forest junior Thomas Birdsey opened the Golfweek Conference Challenge on Sunday with a round 2-under 70 to pace the Wake Forest men's golf. The Deacons opened with a round of 294 and are in fifth place in the 15-team field.
"After a pretty good start, we just had a couple of bad holes on the back nine that got us," said Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas. "The guys are playing well though. We made some birdies there on the front nine but just didn't finish it off. The course sets up well for us and I think we'll have a good next couple of days. Evan (Beck) feels comfortable over the ball and Charlie (Harrison) is hitting it pretty well."
The Deacons got off to a hot start behind Charlie Harrison and were 6-under par through the first nine holes. But they couldn't keep up that pace and would eventually card a 6-over 294 and are in fifth place. Missouri got a 4-under par round from All-American Jace Long and the Tigers lead the way at 2-under par. Ball State is second after a round of 1-over 289.
Birdsey played a clean opening nine with eight pars and one birdie. He then got to 2-under for the day with a birdie at No. 10 but he made his lone bogey at No. 14. After three-straight pars, Birdsey closed with a birdie at the par-5 18th to finish with a 70. That is tied for his lowest round as a Demon Deacon. Birdsey is tied for fifth, just two shots out of the lead.
Harrison could not have gotten off to a better start. He birdied the first and the made an eagle-three on the par-5 second. After another birdie at No. 3, the Atlanta, Ga., made a third birdie at the par-5 fourth and found himself at 5-under par through four holes. He made two bogeys in the next five holes to make the turn in 3-under 33. On the back nine, he bogeyed Nos. 10 and 14 and mixed-in a birdie at No. 13 to remain at 2-under for the day through 15 holes. But Harrison would bogey his final three holes to post an opening 73. He is tied for 12th heading into Monday.
Freshman Davis Womble, who is making his Demon Deacon debut this week, opened the front nine with two birdies and seven pars to go out in 2-under 34. But four bogeys in the first six holes on the back nine dropped him to 2-over for the day and that is where he would finish. His opening 74 has him in a tie for 19th with 36 holes to play.
Senior All-American Evan Beck made his season debut on Sunday and posted a 5-over 77. He made three birdies on the opening nine and was even-par at the turn. A couple of bogeys, along with an unfortunate eight on the par-14th, dropped Beck to 6-over for the round. But a closing birdie at the par-5 18th gave him an opening 77.
Junior Beau Cutts rounded-out the Deacon five with a tough opening round of 12-over 84.
Individually, Missouri's Long is tied with Iowa's Steven Ihm at 4-under par. The duo has a one-shot lead over a pair of players at 3-under par.
The second round will start at 9 a.m. Monday morning. The Deacs are paired with Tulsa and Jacksonville State in the middle wave off the front nine beginning at 10:50 a.m. EST. Follow along with live scoring on Golfstat.com.
