UWF Finishes First Day at NCAA South/Southeast Regional

May 7, 2012

Argos 10-Over Par After First Round

Adam Whipp had one of his best rounds of the year on Monday at the NCAA South/Southeast Regional (Photo by John Blackie)

Related Item: Box Score

CONOVER, N.C. – At the first round of play at the NCAA Division II Men’s Golf South/Southeast Regional hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne on Monday, No. 7 West Florida carded 298 as a team to finish the round 10-over par and 12 strokes behind leader Florida Tech. Freshman Adam Whipp (Sydney, Australia/Pittwater HS) was a bright spot for the Argonauts, carding 71 to enter the top 10 individually.

Florida Tech, unranked in the most recent Division II coaches’ poll, was the surprise leader in a 20-team field featuring 14 of the top 25 ranked teams in the nation. The Panthers carded 286 as a team to finish the round 2-under par, two strokes ahead of No. 5 Lynn in second place at 288. FIT had two players shoot under par, as Christian Westhorpe carded 70 and Ray Badenhorst 71.

All five Argonauts started on the 10th hole, finishing the round with holes 1-9 after starting on the back nine. Whipp’s 71 was highlighted by three birdies, all of which came on the front nine. Senior Carlos Rodriguez (Cali, Colombia/Austin Peay) was only three strokes behind Whipp at 74, but with an extremely competitive field he is tied for 41st individually. Rodriguez, the Gulf South Conference Player of the Year, recovered from a double bogey on 14 and a bogey on 15 to finish his final 12 rounds 2-under par.

Senior Ryan Black (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Lincoln Park Academy) was one stroke behind Rodriguez at 75 to finish the round tied for 53rd. Senior Thomas Guste-Pedersen (Helle, Norway/Frank Phillips) and freshman Juan Miguel Heredia (Cuenca, Ecuador/Jacksonville State) rounded out the Argos lineup. Guste-Pedersen carded 78, and Heredia posted a 79.

J.P. Griffin of No. 19 Georgia Southwestern holds the individual lead after a 68 in the first round, and he was followed closely by Taylor Smith of No. 16 Georgia College at 69. A total of 18 individuals are under par after the first round, including Whipp, and all are within three strokes or less of Griffin.

With only the top five teams earning a bid to the NCAA Championships, the Argonauts will look to make up ground in the second round on Tuesday. The top two individuals not on an advancing team will also earn bids to compete at the national tournament as an individual.

Tee times start at 7:30 a.m. for the second round on Tuesday, May 8, and the first Argonaut to tee off will be Whipp at 12:50 p.m. The third and final round is scheduled to start on Wednesday, May 9. Fans can follow the action through live scoring at www.GolfStat.com. For information on all UWF Athletics, visit www.GoArgos.com.

#ARGOS#

1 Florida Tech           286 -2
2 Lynn                   288   E
3 Barton                 290 +2
T4 Rollins                291 +3
T4 Georgia College        291 +3
6 USC Aiken              294 +6
T7 Barry                  295 +7
T7 Eckerd                 295 +7
T9 UNC Pembroke           296 +8
T9 Carson-Newman          296 +8
T11 Armstrong              297 +9
T11 Florida Southern       297 +9
T13 Nova Southeastern      298 +10
T13 West Florida           298 +10
T13 Georgia Southwestern   298 +10
17 Wingate                299 +11
T18 Coker                  301 +13
T18 Columbus State         301 +13
20 Valdosta State         309 +21

T10 Adam Whipp              71 -1
T41 Carlos Rodriguez        74 +2
T53 Ryan Black              75 +3
T81 Thomas Guste-Pedersen   78 +6
T88 Juan Miguel Heredia     79 +7