MSUB men finish Day 1 of Beaver-Jacket Invite Friday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, March 10, 2017 MSUB men finish Day 1 of Beaver-Jacket Invite Friday

MSUB’s men’s golf team shows improvement between rounds on Friday, cutting four strokes off its score in finishing Day 1 of the Beaver-Jacket Invite in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – Freshmen Caleb Stetzner and Garrett Woodin, and senior Michael Porter led the Montana State University Billings men’s golf team on the first day of the Beaver-Jacket Invite Friday, as the Yellowjackets completed the first two rounds of the event at Aliante Golf Club.

Woodin had the top round of the day, with a 1-under-par 71 his second time through the par-72, 7,022-yard layout. The freshman finished the day with a two-round total of 149, after shooting a 78 in the opening round.

Stetzner was just as impressive, shooting an even-par 72 in Round 1 and following with a 77 in Round 2, to match Woodin with a two-round score of 149.

Porter had the lowest overall score among the team, with a two-round total of 148 (73-75).

Several players among the field had their second round put on hold due to darkness, and results after Day 1 of the event were only official through the end of Round 1. MSUB was in fifth place after the first round, shooting a team score of 302.

“Our guys have improved from their last tournament, and we are keeping the ball in play a lot better,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “We have reduced a number of our big scores on holes, and if we continue to do that tomorrow, we have a chance to move up the leaderboard. There are a lot of teams bunched together right now, and I feel confident we will come out and play even better on Saturday.”

Stetzner had four birdies and utilized stellar short game to keep his score low in Round 1. His best shot of the day was a long, breaking, 22-foot putt on Hole 1 as he sunk a birdie try in impressive fashion.

Woodin had five birdies, including consecutive strokes saved on holes 14 and 15 his second time through. On the par-5 14th hole, he two-putted for birdie, and on the par-3 15th he plunked his tee shot three feet from the cup for an easy putt. The freshman drove the ball strongly all day long, hitting the majority of his fairways both times through the course.

Strong play from Porter helped the team remain consistent throughout the day, as the senior shot a 1-over-par 73 in the opening round thanks in large part to solid putting. His 3-over-par 75 in the second round featured six birdies, including a chip-in on Hole 13. A lengthy par-3 hole, Porter showed great touch with his wedge by sinking his second shot from 35 feet away just off the fringe.

Senior Connor Miele was also consistent on Day 1 of the event, shooting identical scores of 77 each time through the course. Sophomore Austin Walter rounded out the field of five for MSUB, matching Miele’s consistency with back-toback rounds of 79.

Scott Larson also competed as an unattached individual, and finished his first round with an 88 before darkness prevented the completion of the sophomore’s second round.

Fort Lewis College and Winona State were tied for first after each shooting a 298 in Round 1, but the top-six teams were all separated by just five strokes. The second round will be completed early Saturday morning, before the third and final round of play tees off.

THE BUZZ: Woodin was picked as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day…the 298 in Round 2 was MSUB’s sixth sub-300 round of the year in 16 total rounds including the fall season.

AHEAD: The tournament wraps up Saturday morning with tee-time set for 8:22 a.m. Pacific.

Beaver-Jacket Invite Aliante Golf Club | Las Vegas, Nevada Round 1 Results | March 10, 2017 Team – T1. Fort Lewis College, 298; T1. Winona State, 298; 5. MSU Billings, 302. Individual – 1. Mitchell Donley, Fort Lewis, 70; 6. Caleb Stetzner, MSUB, 72; T13. Michael Porter, MSUB, 75; T20. Connor Miele, MSUB, 77; T26. Garrett Woodin, MSUB, 78; T30. Austin Walter, MSUB, 79; 53. Scott Larson, IND, 88.

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