May 4, 2010
HENDERSON, Nevada - Sophomore Jonathan Bale shot a two-under-par 70 to lead Louisiana Tech in the first round of the 2010 Club Glove Western Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championship held at the 7,332-yard, par-72 Rio Secco Golf Club.
Bale's round helped keep LA Tech within striking distance as the Bulldogs are in sixth place with a team total of five-over-par 293 heading into Tuesday's second round.
Nevada leads the team competition with a seven-under-par 281 followed by New Mexico State (283), San Jose State (287), Fresno State (288), Idaho (290), LA Tech (293), Utah State (299), Boise State (301) and Hawaii (302).
New Mexico State golfer Timothy Madigan tied the course record with an eight-under-par 64, tying the record set by Tiger Woods in 2000 and later matched by John Passmore (2006), Nick Watney (2008) and Tom Pernice Jr. (2009).
The Aggies, the WAC's two-time defending champion, are in second place, two strokes behind Nevada (-7, 281). The Wolf Pack were led by junior Scott Smith who shot a 5-under 67 and is in second place, three strokes behind Madigan. Idaho's Matt Rawitzer sits in third place after shooting a 68. A total of 12 players shot under par on Monday.
For the Bulldogs, Bale's round puts him in a tie for seventh place as it consisted of five birdies and three bogeys, including back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to end the day.
Sophomore Cody Santone shot a 72 and is tied for 13th place after a round that consisted of four birdies and four bogeys. Freshman Hayden Stephens shot a three-over-par 75 in his first round with three birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey. Stephens is in 23rd place.
Senior Matthew Harvey, playing in his fourth WAC Championships, struggled on the back nine and ended with a four-over-par 76, putting him in a tie for 30th place. Harvey's round consisted of three birdies and seven bogeys, including five over the last seven holes.
Junior Clinton Shepard also had a good round going until the final three holes when he recorded a pair of double bogeys to end the day at five-over-par 77. Shepard's scorecard included three birdies, two bogeys and three double bogeys.
Tech tees off Tuesday morning at 10:20 a.m. and will be paired with Idaho and Fresno State for the second round.
