Sour Back Nine Relegates Mountain Lions to 19th After First Round of Nationals

BLAINE, Wash. - Four triple bogeys and three double bogeys on the back nine squandered what had been a promising start and relegated the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to 19th place among the 20 teams after the first round of the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, which was played Tuesday.

The Mountain Lions were in eighth place after nine holes at Loomis Trail Golf Club and were just four strokes off the lead. But Riley Andrews triple-bogeyed No. 14, Brian Morfeld did the same at No. 13 and Chris Shoop, who had a team-best score of even par after 13 holes, tripled both 16 and 17.

UCCS' other two competitors, David Cosel and Tyler Bishop, each took at least one double bogey on the back side. Cosel's came on the par-3 12th, while Bishop was saddled with doubles on both 15 and 17.

The results were as devastating as they were predictable. The collapse put UCCS a distant 21 strokes off the pace set by co-tournament leaders Barry and Sonoma State.

Morfeld led the Mountain Lions with a 6-over par 77s. Bishop, Shoop and Cosel each finished at 79, while Andrews' 84 was discarded from the team score.

Northeastern finished the day in third place with a team score of 297, four strokes off the lead. Cal State-San Bernardino was fourth at 298, followed by the trio of Columbus State, Ferris State and Lynn at 300.

Only one player, Cal State-San Bernardino's Gene Webster, managed to break par. His score of 70 (1-under) was one stroke better than Sonoma State's Patrick Bauer, Barry's Victor Billskoog, Wayne State's Steve Cuzzort, Northeastern's San Powell, Columbus State's Andrew Georgiou and Ferris State's Eric Lilleboe.

The second round of the four-round championship will be played Wednesday.