GADSDEN, Ala. – Jacksonville University men's golf completed the first two rounds of the Graeme McDowell Invitational on Monday.
The team sits fifth overall after a challenging day at the RTJ at Silver Lakes Course.
Filip Raza shot 1-over on his first nine of the day, sinking a birdie and six pars, before registering two red numbers on the back along with five more pars to finish his first round with a 74. After battling through his first eight holes of the second round, he settled in to finish strong, making two birdies and seven pars over his last 10 holes of the day and is T15 with one round to play.
Tomas Hjalsted, a freshman playing in his first collegiate event, sits even with his teammate Raza at T15. Competing as an individual, the native of Reykjavík, Iceland began his day modestly, making four straight pars. He mixed in a birdie in the front nine, before sinking two more to start the back nine on his way to a first round 75. He made par on six straight to start the second round before two consecutive birdies on #7 and #8. Three more pars followed as he made the turn until his first blemish of the round on hole 12. He suffered setback on two of his final three holes of the day and matched his first round 75 again in the second.
Joseph Sullivan collected the most birdies of any Dolphin in the first round, registering four in the front nine and six total, but was hurt by a pair triple bogeys on the back nine. He finished his first round with a 74, and started the second with two more birdies in his first five holes and added nine pars in the round. His eight total birdies is second-most overall.
Josef Hacker began the tournament with a birdie on one, and collected three total on the front nine. He had one more, as well as six pars on the back nine to shoot a first round 75. His second 18 of the day featured one more birdie and 12 pars, including a steady stretch of eight straight and nine on his last 10 holes of the day.
Jack Neill hit three pars to start the day and three more heading into his nineth hole of the first round, before making the turn with a pair of birdies. He had four more pars in a row and ended the first round with two more for a 74 through his first 18. His best stretch of the second round came for six holes to wrap his first nine and start his second with pars and had 10 total in the second round.
Alexandre Vandermoten hit a birdie on his first hole and buried two on the front nine. A stretch of nine pars in a row and par on 10 of 11 holes ended his first round with a 74. He had seven pars in the second round and ended it with a positive note, sinking birdie on #18.
JU had 102 pars and 23 birdies, sixth and fifth best totals in the field, respectively. Sullivan shot 2-under on Par-3s, tied for best in the field, Hjalsted was even par on Par-4s, second-best overall and Raza shot 2-under on Par-5s, the best JU scorer on such holes.
Things get started in the final round with a shotgun start Tuesday morning, with Hjalsted first off for the Dolphins at 8:30 a.m. and Raza going off last at 9:15 a.m.