Pederson Leads Jayhawks During First-Round at Landfall Tradition
Oct. 26, 2007
LAWRENCE, KAN. –
Zach Pederson overcame a difficult golf course and rainy conditions at the Landfall Tradition to card a first-round 75 and finish the day tied for 18th place. After a rough start, the Jayhawks finished the day in eighth place with 308 strokes at the Jack Nicklaus Course (par-72, 7084 yards) at the Country Club at Landfall in Wilmington, N.C.
“It pretty much rained all day and when you are playing on a tough course the scores are going to be a little high,” said head coach Kit Grove. “We really came on strong during the back-nine today so hopefully we can carry that into tomorrow.”
Junior Walt Koelbel finished the strongest of all the Jayhawks, as he birdied his final three holes to card a 77 and finish the day tied for 33rd place. Koelbel is the only Jayhawk to compete in all five tournaments this fall as a part of the team.
Freshman Brad Hopfinger shot a one-under par score of 35 on his back-nine today to finish the day tied for 38th with 78 strokes. Fellow freshman Nate Barbee also carded a 78 in today’s first-round action. Sophomore Bobby Knowles rounded out the Jayhawk line-up with an opening-round 80 and is tied for 47th.
Tulsa is currently leading the 12-team event after firing a two-under round of 286. Four of the members of the Tulsa squad rank among the top-15 golfers, including the leading individual Nicholas Geyger, who carded an opening-round 67.
The tournament will continue tomorrow with the second-round of play, followed by the final round on Sunday, Oct. 28. Check kuathletics.com for a complete recap and results following each of the remaining two rounds.
Team Leaderboard
1. Tulsa (286)
2. Georgia Southern (292)
3. Purdue (293)
4. Ohio State (295)
5. Iowa (298)
8. Kansas (308)
Player Leaderboard
1. Nicholas Geyger, Tulsa (67)
T2. Bo Coconis, Ohio State (71)
T2. Drew Lethem, Georgia Southern (71)
T2. Tom Oliver, Purdue (71)
T2. Brent Paladino, William and Mary (71)
T2. Michael Randle, Purdue (71)
T2. Drew Weaver, Virginia Tech (71)
T18. Zach Pederson, Kansas (75)
T33. Walt Koelbel, Kansas (77)
T38. Brad Hopfinger, Kansas (78)
T38. Nate Barbee, Kansas (78)
T47. Bobby Knowles (80)
