BECKER, Minn. – The fall portion of a collegiate golf season lasts roughly three months, but teams in the Midwest region receive roughly a month of action due to colder temperatures. UW-Superior's men's golf team sees action in roughly six different events, and it all leads up to the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Championship, which began Thursday.
The Yellowjackets, along with North Central, Northwestern and Bethany Lutheran all made up the top four in day one of the three-day tournament. Only four strokes come between the first-place Rams (35-over 323) and the fourth-place Vikings (39-over 327), setting the table for a tightly knit conference championship.
UWS capped round one in a tie of second place, shooting 37 over par alongside the Eagles. Martin Luther finished in fifth place with Minnesota Morris a stroke behind, while Crown and Northland rounded out the team leaderboard.
Round One Notes
- The Yellowjackets' leader came from freshman Matthew Unger (New Richmond, Wis./New Richmond). Shooting a 41 on the front nine and a 39 on the back nine, he ended the day with an eight-over 80, sitting in eighth place on the individual standings.
- Nate Burke (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) logged a birdie on the front and back nine, aiding his efforts while shooting a nine-over 81 to claim a share of 11th place.
- Carding scores of 82 on the day was Andrew Rude (Superior, Wis./Superior) and Conner Willard (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing). Rude had a 40/42 split, while Willard carded a 43/39.
- Rounding out UWS was August Lang (Somerset, Wis./Somerset), sitting in a logjam of 21st place individually with a 12-over 84.
- Sitting in first place individually is Benjamin Pearson of Martin Luther. He finished three-over par to begin the tournament.
Round two of the UMAC Championship commences Friday. Tee times begin at 11 a.m. at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Becker, Minn.
