May 18, 2006
CHARDON, Ohio - Thursday's opening round of the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Central Regional played much like your normal day at the British Open. Not only did the golfers have to battle the 7,172 yard, par 71 layout at Sand Ridge Golf Club, but those unfortunate enough to tee off in the morning had to cope with wind, rain and cool temperatures.
When the first day finally drew to a close, top-seeded Oklahoma State held the lead at four-under par (280), just one shot clear of late-charging Northwestern, which went four-under on final hole. The only other team to shoot par or better in the 27-team field was Texas A & M at even-par (284).
Jonathan Moore led the Cowboys with a 69, while Pablo Martin and Trent Leon were both at one-under par. OSU did not count a score worse than even par.
Northwestern's Chris Wilson fired a bogey-free, four-under par 67, rolling in a 25-footer on 18 to claim the first round lead by himself. One of two Ohioans in Northwestern's line-up, Wilson is the reigning Ohio Amateur champion.
Wilson's lead is tenuous however, as teammate David Merkow is just a shot back. Bronson Burgoon and Andrew Parr led Texas A & M with a pair of matching 68s (-3), while Purdue's Bobby Bennett joined the four-way tie for second place. All told, 16 out of 141 golfers broke par.
However, the round of the day may have been turned in by SMU's Colt Knost. His one-under 70 was the only sub-par round to be recorded in the morning wave.
Play continues with Friday's second round, which begins at 7:00 a.m. and runs throughout the day. The regional concludes on Saturday (May 20) with the top 10 teams and two individuals not on those teams advancing to the NCAA Championships which run from May 31 to June 3 at the Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore.
