East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State’s men’s golf team held a lead as teams made the turn during the first round, but the Spartans struggled on the back nine and are in seventh place among 14 teams after the opening 18 holes of the Big Ten Championships, being played at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway, N.J.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being played on the par-71, 7,111-yard course on the outskirts of Atlantic City.
On a rainy and windy day in South Jersey, the Spartans finished the first round with a 26-over par 310.
Illinois, ranked No. 3 in the country by Golfstat, is in first place at 8-over par 292, six shots ahead of Northwestern (14-over par 298). Wisconsin is in third place (15-over par 299), with Ohio State fourth (16-over par 300) and Iowa rounds out the top-five teams (22-over par 306). Indiana is in sixth place at 23-over par 307.
Senior Drew Hackett and sophomore Ashton McCulloch are tied for 21st place with scores of 6-over par 77. Hackett had been among the individual leaders through 11 holes with a pair of birdies to sit at 1-under par, but he played the final three holes in plus-5 to finish at 77. McCulloch finished his day with 10 pars and a birdie.
Junior August Meekhof is tied for 28th place at 7-over par 78, finishing his round with nine pars and two birdies.
Senior Bradley Smithson is tied for 30th place at 7-over par 78. Smithson had eight pars and just one bogey on the front nine and registered pars on the first four holes of the back before two bogies and two double bogies over the final five holes.
Fifth year Troy Taylor II shot a 9-over par 80, recording eight pars and one birdie, and is tied for 48th place.
Michigan State tees off on Saturday morning in the second round playing alongside Rutgers at 10 a.m.
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