NCAA Championships First-Round Player Results
SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. – Eckerd College sophomore
Jeff Evanier took on the challenges of the rolling hills in Kentucky and posted a 3-over-par 75 in the first round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships on Tuesday afternoon.
Evanier carried a strong performance during the day at the Cardinal Club Golf Course following a special opening ceremony at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, the night prior. The opening ceremony included fireworks and was part of the NCAA's Spring Championships Festival.
Evanier brought himself to even par through the first 17 holes before coming off the course with an undesirable triple bogey on No. 18. As an individual competing in the tournament field, he is currently tied for 60th overall.
“Jeff played very well all day long even though his start wasn't the greatest,” EC Head Coach
Bill Buttner said. “He tried to hit harder off the tee and his lie in the rough off of his drives wasn't as good as he hoped. We left a few opportunities out there today.”
Evanier continued his postseason run after tying for fifth in the NCAA South/Southeast Super Regional in North Carolina just last week. He is the first golfer in Eckerd history to make an appearance in the NCAA Championships.
After teeing off at 1 p.m., the opening nerves may have played a role on his first-hole bogey.
Evanier's approach with a 9-iron from the rough missed the green and after his chip, he was left with a 12-foot putt to salvage par that didn't go down.
“It just wasn't a good situation on the first hole of the day,” Buttner said.
Another bogey was recorded on the par-3, third hole, after his downhill 6-iron shot hit a bank behind the pin and went over a ridge. Again, Evanier was faced with a tough putt for par, this time a 40-footer, and ran it eight feet past the cup.
Evanier settled in and rattled home a 25-foot birdie putt on the next hole to regain one stroke before making birdie on a par-5 to close the front nine at even par.
He strung together six consecutive pars on the back and birdied his second par-5 of the day, chipping in on the 17th to offset a bogey on No. 10. Going into the final hole tied for 23rd overall, Evanier fell in the standings as a result of his triple bogey.
The tall Bermuda grass complicated matters further after he was penalized and 10 people surrounding the green couldn't locate a lost ball.
“It was a bitter end to a long day,” Buttner said. “I don't think a lot of players were comfortable on the course, but he knows his wedges need to be closer and he needs to make a few more putts.”
Evanier will tee off in Wednesday's second round at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring is reported hole-by-hole courtesy of
www.Golfstat.com.
