Robert Falconer
Robert Falconer

Bentley Finishes Day 1 of NCAA Championships in 18th; Falconer Tied for 5th

DANIELS, W.V. – After an outstanding start that saw the Falcons make the turn in a tie for fifth place, Bentley University struggled on the back side, including a pair of triple bogeys, and finished day one of the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships in 18th place Monday at The Resort at Glade Springs.

Bentley, one of only three unranked teams in the 20-team field, finished the day with a 305, 17-over-par. Coach Mickey Herron's squad was at even-par through eight holes, standing in third place. The team's difficulties began on the ninth when all five Falcons bogeyed the par-four, 475-yard hole.

Junior Robert Falconer (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley HS) had an outstanding opening round for the Falcons, shooting a one-under par 71 that put him in an eight-way tie for fifth place. He began the day with the first of his birdies and was never above par all afternoon.

Bentley's number two man on the leaderboard was senior Chris Simione (Cheshire, Conn./ Cheshire HS), who turned in a 36-40-76 with three birdies. When play resumes on Tuesday, he'll be tied for 62nd in the 108-player tournament.

The Falcons also counted a 79 from both Tommy Ethier (Nashua, N.H./Bishop Guertin HS) and Ellis Yoder (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead HS), both sophomores. They are tied for 91st place.

Falconer was one of 12 golfers who shot below par with the top of the leaderboard headed by Arkansas Tech's Shawn Tsai, with a five-under 67.

In the team standings, Cal State Monterey Bay owns a one-stroke lead over both Arkansas Tech and Lincoln Memorial after posting a one-under 287. Among the three East Region programs, Bentley is trails Southern New Hampshire by two strokes and is three ahead of Wilmington University (Del.).

During the opening round, Bentley was paired with the nation's top-ranked team, Barry University, and 15th-ranked Missouri St. Louis. Missouri St. Louis finished the day fourth at 290 and Barry was tied for eighth at 294.

Bentley will play during the morning flight Tuesday, beginning at 8:25 am.