Chris Day
ASC Sports Information
Adams State College sophomore Jonathan Atencio recorded the best score in each of the two rounds opening a 3-stroke lead in the individual standings after 36 holes and the first of two days at the Quality Inn Spring Invitational hosted by Mesa State College at The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa.
Atencio, who made two of the three total eagles during windy conditions at the 7,007-yard, par-72 course on Monday, turned in scorecards of 74 and 78 to take the lead over Mesa State’s Brandon Bingaman, Eric Farmer, and the rest of the thirteen-player field, which was made up of five Grizzlies and eight Mavericks. The third and final 18-hole round was scheduled to be played at 8:30 Tuesday morning.
Bingaman and Farmer each finished with scores of 75 and 80 and led the Mavericks to a 2-round, 4-player team score of 630 (+54) and a 20-shot lead over the Grizzlies, who did not have as much depth while posting team scores of 321 and 329 to finish the day at 650 (+74).
The Mavericks also had the two golfers tied for fourth place as Calen Hoppe and John Savage each posted 2-round totals of 160 (+16) to stand five shots back of their teammates and eight behind Atencio’s 152 (+8).
The Grizzlies’ Scott VanGieson was currently tied for sixth at 165 (+21) after posting scores of 80 and 85 while Chris Turner stood eighth at 167 (+23) after his first two rounds as a Grizzly. Turner, a transfer from Trinidad State Junior College, made five birdies throughout the day and lead the tournament in par-5 scoring after playing the longest holes in a combined two shots under par, good for an average of 4.75.
Grizzly junior Ross Benson also made five birdies and was in 10th place at 169 (+25) while junior Kyle Starrett (Westminster, Colo.), also making his debut, stood twelfth at 172 (+28). He posted a score of 90 in the first round, but was one of just two golfers to improve in the afternoon round as the winds picked up. Starrett carded a round of 82 in the afternoon, the fourth best in the entire field.
As a group, the thirteen players averaged 80.92 strokes in the opening round and 83.15 in Round 2.
The tournament was the first of the spring season for the Grizzlies, who had two earlier scheduled affairs wiped out by poor weather.
The third and final round of the Quality Inn Spring Invitational men’s golf tournament to be played Tuesday at The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa was canceled because of high winds and cold temperatures.
The results from the two rounds that were played on Monday were declared official and thus gave Atencio his first win of the season and his Grizzly career. Atencio carded rounds of 74 and 78 finishing with a 2-round total of 152 (+8), good for a 3-stroke win. As a team, the Grizzlies finished second behind the host Mavericks with a 2-round total score of 650 (+74).
The Grizzlies, who were playing for the first time this spring under newly-named interim coach David Mejia, will continue their season Saturday, competing in the Bob Writz Invitational at Plum Creek Country Club in Castle Rock, Colo. Ten teams, including eight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference squads, are expected to compete in the 36-hole affair that will be hosted by Colorado School of Mines.
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