MSUB men battle through weather in opening round at SMU Invite Friday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Friday, September 23, 2016 MSUB men battle through weather in opening round at SMU Invite Friday

Fighting through difficult weather conditions on Friday, the MSUB men’s golf team sits in a three-way tie for 13th place after a team score of 316 at the Saint Martin’s Invite.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Fighting through tough weather conditions that ultimately cut the day short, the Montana State University Billings men’s golf team opened its 2016-17 season by shooting a 316 at the Saint Martin’s University Invitational Friday at the Olympia Golf and Country Club.

Originally scheduled to tee off at 8:30 a.m. local time and play 36 holes on Friday, steady rain throughout the day canceled the second round of action. “The conditions were brutal today, and I think all of the golfers should be commended for playing,” said MSUB head coach Kevin Woodin. “Looking at the forecast for tomorrow’s final round is encouraging, and I’m really interested in seeing how we do tomorrow.”

Leading the way for the ‘Jackets on Friday was freshman Caleb Stetzner, who shot a 76 in his first-ever collegiate round.

The Anaconda, Mont., native is the top player from MSUB after Day 1, and is in a tie for 31st place. “Caleb’s 76 is a very

good score, and he played extremely well in the poor weather,” said Woodin. “He kept the ball in play, and he putted well.”

Michael Porter was two strokes behind Stetzner, tying for 48th place with a score of 78 in his opening round. “Michael had a couple bad holes, but he got a lot out of his round,” said Woodin. “His short game was very good around the greens.”

Senior Connor Miele and sophomore Austin Walter were next on the list for MSUB, each in a tie for 68th place with a score of 81. Freshman Garrett Woodin rounded out the team for the ‘Jackets, shooting a 90, and is sitting in a tie for 91st place.

Leading the team race after the first round is the University of British Columbia, after shooting an impressive 292 despite the conditions. Host Saint Martin’s University is just four strokes behind after a 296, and fellow Great Northwest Athletic Conference school Concordia University is in third place with a 297.

Also competing from the GNAC are Simon Fraser University (304, 8th place), Western Washington University (310, 10th place), and Northwest Nazarene University (316, 13th place).

Leading the individual race is UBC’s Andrew Harrison, who carded a 4-under-par 67 and was one of just three players to go below 70 on the day at the par-71, 6,300-yard course.

Stetzner was selected as the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Day for the Yellowjackets.

NEXT: The second and final round of the event will tee off on Saturday morning, as the teams set out to complete the rain-shortened tournament.

Saint Martin’s University Invitational Olympia Golf & Country Club | September 23, 2016 Round 1 Results Team – 1. University of British Columbia, 292; T13. MSU Billings, 316. Individual – Andrew Harrison, UBC, 67; T31. Caleb Stetzner, MSUB, 76; T48. Michael Porter, MSUB, 78; T68. Connor Miele, MSUB, 81; T68. Austin Walter, MSUB, 81; T91.

Garrett Woodin, MSUB, 90.

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