May 31, 2011
STILLWATER, Okla. - Pepperdine's Josh Anderson shot a 2-over 74 to lead the Waves at the first round of the 2011 NCAA Men's Golf Championships on Tuesday.
Playing arguably the nation's toughest college golf course, the par-72 Karsten Creek Golf Course, Pepperdine had a rough time and shot a 21-over 309, putting the Waves into 28th place out of 30 teams.
Play continues with single rounds on Wednesday and Thursday, and the top eight teams then advance to match play. The Waves will be paired up with Kennesaw State and Kent State again and the schools will start off the first tee beginning at 1:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday.
"The bright spot was that everybody had a good nine holes," Pepperdine Coach John Geiberger said. "If we could have just flip-flopped some of those nines we would have been in better shape. There were probably some nerves out there. It was a tough day but I think we'll come back with a good day tomorrow."
Each of the Waves' players was making their NCAA Championships debuts, as Pepperdine is making its first appearance at the finals since 2006.
Anderson (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS), a junior, is tied for 47th place. He bogeyed five of the first six holes before turning his day around. He birdied the 16th and 18th holes, then recorded an eagle on the par-5 first hole to get back to 1-over. Over his final eight holes, he had seven pars and one bogey.
Senior Andrew Putnam (University Place, Wash./Life Christian Academy), who was named to the PING All-West Region team earlier in the day, is tied for 90th place after a 77. He birdied his first hole of the day, and though he ran into some trouble mid-round, he birdied hole #5 and closed with four straight pars.
Freshman Parker Page (Louisville, Ky./Ballard HS) overcame a tough start to also finish strong, and is tied for 108th place with a 78. He was 7-over after seven holes, but on his back nine he had birdies on the #2 and #6 holes, both par 4s, while posting just one bogey.
Senior Andrew Widmar (El Paso, Texas/Cathedral HS) is tied for 128th place with an 80 and sophomore Johnny Mac Arthur (Newhall, Calif./Hart HS) is tied for 134th place with an 81. Both had one birdie during their rounds.
Only two schools finished the first round better than par, and Georgia Tech (5-under) and UCLA (2-under) are currently 1-2 in the standings.
Team Scores: 1. Georgia Tech 283; 2. UCLA 286; 3. Alabama 288; 4. Texas A&M 289; T5. Illinois 291; T5. Georgia 291; T5. Ohio State 291; 8. Oklahoma State 292; 9. Augusta State 294; T10. Kennesaw State 295; T10. San Diego State 295; 12. Arkansas 296; 13. Texas 299; T14. Florida 300; T14. San Diego 300; T14. California 300; 17. Arizona 302; T18. USC 303; T18. Arizona State 303; T18. Duke 303; T21. Iowa 304; T21. Kent State 304; T23. LSU 306; T23. Northwestern 306; T25. Colorado State 307; T25. Michigan 307; 27. Tennessee 308; 28. Pepperdine 309; 29. North Carolina State 310; 30. Oklahoma 313.
Top Individuals: 1. James White (Georgia Tech) 67; 2. Cameron Peck (Texas A&M) 68; T3. Patrick Reed (Augusta State) 69; T3. J.J. Spaun (San Diego State) 69; T5. four players tied at 70.
Pepperdine Scores: T47. Josh Anderson 74; T90. Andrew Putnam 77; T108. Parker Page 78; T128. Andrew Widmar 80; T134. Johnny Mac Arthur 81.
