Grafton’s 78 Paces Chargers in Opening Round of Region Tourney
Aaron Frey
Friday, October 5, 2018 8:56 AM
Athletics
LaSalle, IL
Bryce Grafton (Orion, Ill./Orion) posted a 6-over-par 78 to lead the Carl Sandburg College men’s golf team Thursday in the opening round of the Region IV tournament at Senica’s Oak Ridge.
Grafton shot 39 on each side as the Chargers finished at 329 as a team, putting them in sixth place after the first round of the 54-hole event.
Sophomore Brayden Reece (Monmouth, Ill./Monmouth-Roseville) added an 80 for the Chargers. Brady Grafton (Orion, Ill./Orion) came in with an 81, and Matt Graves (Oneida, Ill./ROWVA) shot 90 to round out Sandburg’s scoring. Grant Campbell (Earlville, Ill./Earlville) posted a 91 that didn’t count toward the Chargers’ score.
Black Hawk shot 290 on Thursday to lead by 13 strokes over Lake County. The Chargers are 12 shots back of fifth-place Highland and 16 behind Sauk Valley and Waubonsee, who are tied for third at 313.
Black Hawk’s Eric Spurgetis and Sauk Valley’s Cole Ruckman each shot 1 under to stand atop the individual leaderboard.
The top two teams and the top six individuals from non-qualifying teams will advance to the NJCAA Division II Championship from May 21-24 at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind. Sandburg is looking to qualify as a team for the second straight year. The Chargers have advanced an individual or team to nationals for six straight seasons and in 10 of the last 11 years.
The tournament continues with the second round at 9 a.m. Friday.
Region IV Division II Men’s Golf Tournament
First Round
At Senica’s Oak Ridge
- Black Hawk 290
- Lake County 303
- Sauk Valley 313
- Waubonsee 313
- Highland 317
- Sandburg 329
- Moraine Valley 330
- Oakton 333
- Illinois Valley 353