Junior Stefan Wiedergruen is tied for 10th after the first round of the NCAA Championships. |
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Niners in 10th After NCAA Championship First Round
May 29, 2008
West Lafayette, Ind. - Junior Stefan Wiedergruen fired an impressive two-over par 74 to lead the 6th-ranked 49ers in the first round of the NCAA Championships at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex - Kampen Course, Wednesday. Charlotte finished the first round tied for 10th at +18, 306, nine strokes off the lead shared by UCLA and Southern Cal at +9. The 49ers open second round play Thursday with an 8:07 tee time on the 10th hole.
On a day when only three individuals broke par, Wiedergruen's two-over par round stood the test and landed him tied for 10th.
"I'm very proud of Stefan's round," said 49ers head coach Jamie Green. "He's very accurate and he hits a lot of fairways. That's what gives you some scoring opportunities -- and that's what he did today. On a course like this it takes a lot of straight drives, good play and smart decisions. I'm proud of how he went about his play, today."
Wiedergruen, it should be noted, won the prestigious PING/Golfweek Preview at this course in the fall, shooting -7, 209.
With the Kampen course playing more difficult this time around, thanks in most part to substantial rough, Charlotte was able to land in the top 10 after day one. The top 15 teams after day three will advance to Saturday's fourth and final round.
"The golf course has a lot of teeth," Green noted, "and it is all in the rough. I saw times where guys are hitting shots and I can't see their shoes. With a course about 7,450 yards, with some steady wind and this rough -- that makes it tough. That adds up to a very challenging day for players of any caliber to keep it around par."
Seniors Trevor Murphy and Andrew DiBitetto both shot +5, 77 and classmate Jonas Enander Hedin added a +6, 78 for the 49ers, who placed third at last year's NCAA Championships. Sophomore Corey Nagy carded a round of +8, 80.
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"The key here is to be able to make good decisions in club selection and target selection and be aggressive from there," Green said. "It's not easy on a course like this to stay in that mode. You will have it in the rough -- but if you can still stay aggressive and not get into too defensive a mode, you can do well. We have experience and we've played tough courses. We showed some promise, today that we can go out and have an awfully good round. It really is about mindset and the position you put yourself in to be aggressive."
