Racers Manage Dalhousie Winds In Round One At OVC Championship

The wind was strong, but so were the players of the Murray State men's golf team as they made nine team birdies on the back-nine of the first round of the 73rd Ohio Valley Conference championship at Dalhousie Golf Club in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Playing in the first wave of five groups at 8 a.m., the Racers faced a round that could've been blown away by the windy morning. However, their 303 in the opening 18 holes has them in fifth place, only seven shots from leader Tennessee Tech. UT Martin and SIUE (299) were tied for second place. After the Racers at 303, Austin Peay (305) and Morehead State (306) were in fifth and sixth place.

Murray State's Kamaren Cunningham nearly made a hole in one at the par-3 5^th hole on his way to a steady round of even par 72 and a share of fifth place. Connor Coombs, MSU's All-OVC selection this week, used a 3-under par 33 on the back-nine to pull out a 74 and a spot in 10th place. Tyler Powell gave MSU three players in the top-20 with a score of 76 and a spot in 17^th place. Walker Beck was in 33^rd position on a score of 81 and Trey Lewis was in 37^th place after an 82. Connor Coombs

Presley Mackelberg of SIUE is the medalist leader after 18 holes with a 3-under 69. There are four players under par after the first round. Nick Sutton (TTU), Adam Van Raden (APSU) and Jack Uselton (BEL) are all at 71.

The Racers have moved up to the second wave for Monday's second round and will be paired with Belmont and Austin Peay. MSU's Trey Lewis will hit the first shot of the day for the Racers at 8:50 a.m.

This year's event will include three rounds of stroke play followed by the top four teams advancing to Match Play on the final day. This is the first time Match Play has been used to determine the OVC Champion and it's the first time the event has been played in Missouri.

Racer Golf Notes

MSU is second in the field of nine teams in playing Dalhousie's par-5 holes 3-under par.
Coombs' back-9 33 was a beautiful thing to watch as he made four birdies in a stretch of six holes.
Cunningham nearly aced the par-3 fifth hole when his tee shot stop only a foot from the cup. He used a 5-iron from 190 yards.
In case you are wondering, the last two aces made by Murray State players at the OVC Championship were by Austin Knight (2017 The Shoals - Fighting Joe) and Nick Newcomb (2008 at Paducah CC).
MSU's OVC titles have come in 1971, 1987, 1991 and 2010.
MSU has finished runner up 12 times including in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1970, 1975, 1983, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2015
The Racers have nine different players have won the OVC medalist title including Bill Graham (1962, 1963), Ron Acree (1965), Chris Pigott (1971), Kevin Klier (1977), Chris Carlson (1987), Adam Grogan (1996), Brandon Henson (2001), Nick Newcomb (2008, 2010) and Patrick Newcomb (2013).
MSU has 11 different players finish runner up in the event including: Jackie Haley (1965), Lynn Newton (1966), Larry Ringer (1967), Chris Piggott (1970, 1972), Dave Padgett (1981), Bud Ward (1984, 1986), Jeff Sander (1991), J.R. Conkle (1998), Jamie Frazier (2005), Jared Wolfe (2010), Patrick Newcomb (2012).

Racer head coach Daniel DeLuca comments on a productive 1st round at the @OVCSports Golf Championship pic.twitter.com/fQa5nkpp08
— Murray State Golf (@MSUMenGolf) April 24, 2022

73rd Ohio Valley Men's Golf Championship
Dalhousie GC - Cape Girardeau, Mo.
April 24-27, 2022
Par/Length: 72/6,897

Team
Tennessee Tech 296 +8
UT Martin 299 +11
SIU Edwardsville 299 +11
Belmont 300 +12
Murray State 303 +15
Austin Peay 305 +17
Morehead State Univ 306 +18
Eastern Illinois 316 +28
Tennessee State 326 +38

5 Murray State 303 303
T5 Kamaren Cunningham (2) 72
T10 Connor Coombs (1) 74
T17 Tyler Powell (5) 76
T33 Walker Beck (4) 81
T37 Trey Lewis (3) 82

About Dalhousie
Dalhousie, a Nicklaus designed course, varies from undulating terrain to old growth forests to spectacular water holes, while gnarly-edged bunkers, imaginative green complexes, immaculate Zoysia fairways and large, rectangular bent grass tee boxes add dimension and challenge. The venue has hosted numerous championships and been ranked the No. 1 course in Missouri by Golf Digest multiple times.

About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. Currently a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Racers will join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. The Racers will begin play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023.

Murray State University Athletics

Racers Manage Dalhousie Winds In Round One At OVC Championship

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Players Mentioned

Walker Beck

Connor Coombs

Kamaren Cunningham

Austin Knight

Trey Lewis

Tyler Powell

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