Golfers in eighth after day one of Gopher Invitational
September 12, 2008 | Men's Golf
The 61st-ranked University of Wisconsin men's golf team sits in eighth place following the opening round of the 2008 Gopher Invitational on Friday afternoon. In its fourth year of existence, the three-day tournament is being held at the par 72, 7,020-yard Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minn.
Following the first 18 holes, the Badgers are 16 strokes over par as they recorded a 304. Texas holds the team lead after shooting a six-under, 282.
All five Badger golfers, the same five that competed in this past week's USF Olympic Club Intercollegiate, started on the backside and find themselves in the top-52 after round one.
Junior Jordan Elsen (Kenosha, Wis.) paced the Badgers on day one as he shot a one-under, 71 en route to a tie for 6th. Elsen came out strong as he birdied the first hole. After a par, he proceeded to bogey three of the next four holes. Elsen overcame that, though, with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 and finished his first nine with an even-par 36. On the front nine, Elsen scored a par on the first four holes and the last four, while sandwiching in a birdie on No. 5 to card a one-under 35. The 71 was his top round of the year.
Senior Pat Duffy (Appleton, Wis.) is tied for 37th after firing a four-over 76. Duffy recorded bogies on Nos. 10 and 14 and a double bogey on No. 12 before birdying No. 18 to score a three-over 39 for the first nine. Duffy picked up where he left off by birdying Nos. 1 and 3 as he started his second nine. Bogies on Nos. 2, 5 and 8 left Duffy with a 37 for the front nine.
Fellow senior Danny Zimmerman (Verona, Wis.) sits one stroke behind Duffy after recording a five-over par 77. Zimmerman, who is tied for 40th, bogeyed Nos. 10 and 14 on his first nine as he carded a two-over 38. He followed that up by bogeying Nos. 2, 7 and 8 on the front nine to record a three-over 39.
The two remaining Badger golfers are tied for 52nd place after each shot an eight-over par, 80. Dan Woltman (Beaver Dam, Wis.) and Tyler Obermueller (River Falls, Wis.) each went 40-40 on the front and back to put themselves in a five-way tie.
Sitting at even-par through three, Woltman bogeyed four of the next six holes, including holes 13-15, to score a 40 on the back side. For the front, Woltman was just one-over par until he bogeyed holes 7, 8 and 9 to record another 40.
Obermueller had a more up-and-down day than Woltman. Obermueller birdied No. 10, before bogeying No. 12. He then sandwiched a birdie on No. 15 with double bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16. A bogey on No. 18 gave Obermueller his first 40 of the day. On the front nine, Obermueller had trouble with the third hole as he tripled-bogeyed the hole. He did bounce back though with a birdie on No. 3. A double bogey on No. 5 followed by four straight pars ended his day.
The men's golf team will resume play at the 2008 Gopher Invitational Saturday morning. Tee times are set for 8 a.m. Fans can follow live stats by clicking SPSID=38696&SPID=3307&DB_OEM_ID=8400"> --> here and can check back to UWBadgers.com for a full recap.
