Spartans in Second Place at Big Ten Men’s Golf Championship

East Lansing, Mich. – Senior August Meekhof stands atop the leaderboard and three golfers are among the top-20 overall as Michigan State’s men’s golf team is in second place among 14 teams after the first round of the Big Ten Championship.

The three-day, 54-hole tournament is being played on the par-70, 7,240-yard course, the first 18-hole course in central Ohio but the Club where golf’s greatest player, Jack Nicklaus, learned the game.

Michigan State shot a 6-over par 286 in Friday’s opening round and is six shots off the pace of Northwestern, who leads the field at even-par 280.

The Spartans are head of third-place Purdue (8-over par 288) and Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, who are tied for fourth place at 10-over par 290.

First Round Results

Meekhof is atop the field of 70 golfers after firing a 3-under par 67 in the opening round, holding a one stroke lead on Northwestern’s Daniel Svard and James Imai. Meekhof’s opening 18 holes including six birdies and he played his final nine holes – the back nine on the course – in 3-under par.

Junior Ashton McCulloch is tied for eighth place after carding a 1-over par 71. Starting on the 10th hole, McCulloch played his first nine holes at 2-over par but had pair of birdies and played the front in 1-under par.

Graduate Drew Hackett birdied his final hole of the day – the par-3, 160-yard 9th hole – and closed his back nine at 1-over par and finished the day tied for 14th place at 2-over par 72.

Graduate Bradley Smithson is tied for 50th place at 6-over par 76 and freshman Lucas Acevedo is tied for 68th place at 12-over par 82.

The Spartans will tee off in the second round on Saturday morning at 10:40 a.m. on the first hole, playing alongside Northwestern and Purdue.