May 26, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; May 26, 2017 -- The Penn State men's golf opened play Friday in the NCAA Championships with a 13-over 301 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
Junior Cole Miller (New Tripoli, Pa.) led the Nittany Lions with a two-over 74. Miller, who was the medalist at the NCAA Washington Regional, had four birdies during his round.
Sophomore Charles Huntzinger (Duluth, Ga.) shot a 3-over 75, which included two birdies. Ryan Davis (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) and sophomore JD Hughes (Carlisle, Pa.) both shot 76 and freshman Alec Bard (New Hartford, N.Y.) shot a 79.
"We started well today, had a few tough breaks, but held in well through key holes 4 & 5 (our 13th and 14th), then uncharacteristically we just did not finish strong," said head coach Greg Nye. "Tomorrow we will start very late due to a significant weather delay this afternoon. We will need to handle the next couple days with great patience as this championship attempts to right its completion. "
The Nittany Lions are playing in the NCAA Championships for the fifth time under head coach Greg Nye, with the last appearance coming in 2010. Penn State is playing in the NCAA Championships for the 13th time overall.
The Nittany Lions will begin teeing off Saturday at 1:55 p.m. CT, paired alongside golfers from Iowa State and New Mexico.
Penn State, Illinois and Purdue are the Big Ten Conference teams participating in the 2017 NCAA Men's Golf Championships.
Penn State made its 23rd NCAA Championship regional appearance under Nye earlier this month, finishing fifth in the Washington Regional after being seeded ninth in the regional.