Ball State University Athletics
Clouser Near Round 1 Lead at Mason Rudolph
April 03, 2015 | Men's Golf
LEADERBOARD
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- McCormick Clouser birdied four straight holes on the back nine Friday to vault to the top of the leaderboard among some the biggest names in college golf at the Mason Rudolph Championship.
His 3-under par 68 was the best round of the day at the Vanderbilt Legends Club before Georgia Southern's Scott Wolfes eagled the last hole to move in front by one with a 67 (-4). Clouser owns sole possession of second place.
A total of 17 players finished the day under par, including two of the top 10 American amateurs -- No. 1 Ollie Schniederjans of Georgia Tech and Hunter Stewart of Vanderbilt, both at 70 (-1).
Sixth-ranked Vanderbilt posted a score of 280 (-4) on its home course for a two-shot lead over Georgia Southern on the team leaderboard. The field includes five of the top 30 teams in the country, including two-time defending national champion Alabama, and 15 of the nation's top 100 college players.
Ball State is tied for 10th place as a team after a round of 295 (+11). In addition to Clouser's 68, the Cardinals also counted 75s from Michael VanDeventer and Johnny Watts and a 77 from Zach Yinger.
It was a round that was close to being so much better. Triple bogeys for VanDeventer and Watts on the 17th hole kept both players from getting into the clubhouse with scores around even par. They are tied for 48th place a 4-over.
Clouser was sitting at 1-over through 12 holes before catching fire in the middle of the back nine. He birdied the par-3 13th hole and then rattled off three more in a row to find himself in first place. It was his fifth round in the 60s this season.
James Blackwell was Ball State's non-counter with an 81. Derek Kundenreich, competing as an individual, posted a 77, including an eagle at the par-5 14th hole.
The tournament continues with the second round Saturday and will conclude with the final round Sunday. Live scoring throughout is available at golfstat.com.
