Three Penguins placed in the top 10 to lead the Youngstown State men's golf team to a two-stroke victory on Monday in NKU's The Jewell at Elks Run Golf Club in Batavia, Ohio.
The Penguins fired a two-round team total of 578, which ranks as the third-lowest 36-hole performance in program history. YSU posted a 293 in the opening round on Sunday before recording a tournament-low 285 in the final session on Monday. The Penguins were tied for first place with Chicago State following the first round of action. The Guins earn their first tournament victory and sixth top-five finish of the 2021-22 season.
Youngstown State finished two strokes ahead of Purdue Fort Wayne and eight strokes in front of third-place Northern Kentucky. Xavier (594) and Chicago State (595) rounded out the top five while Cleveland State finished sixth with a 596.
Zack Ford finished in third place at even par with a two-round score of 142 (74-68) to earn a career-best finish and pace the Penguins individually. The Cochranton, Pa., native fired a three-under-par and career-low 68 in the final round on Monday to jump up seven spots on the individual leaderboard and finish two strokes back of the tournament medalist. The senior's final-round 68 featured eight pars and seven birdies as he fired a three-under-par 33 on the front nine. Ford's first-round 74 included 11 pars and two birdies as he made par or better on 10 of his first 12 holes.
Kevin Scherr finished in fourth place at two over par with a two-round 144 (71-73) to earn his fourth top-10 finish of the season. The senior's even-par 71 in the first round featured 12 pars and three birdies as he made par or better on 10 of his final 11 holes. Scherr's final-round 73 included 10 pars and three birdies as he carded a one-under-par 35 on the front nine.
Ken Keller tied for sixth with a two-round total of 146 (74-72) to collect his fourth top-10 finish of the campaign. The senior's first-round 74 featured nine pars and three birdies as he shot a one-over-par 37 on the front nine. Keller's final-round 72 included eight pars and six birdies as he fired a one-under-par 35 on the front nine. The Youngstown, Ohio, native had a stretch of four straight birdies from No. 3 to No. 6 during the final session.
Cole Christman finished in a tie for 11th with a two-round 147 (74-73) to record his sixth top-20 finish of the season. The Boardman, Ohio, native led all golfers at the event with 10 total birdies. The junior's first-round 74 featured seven pars and six birdies as he carded a one-over-par 37 on the front nine. Christman's second-round 73 included 10 pars and four birdies as he shot an even-par 36 on the front nine. He made par or better on 12 of his first 14 holes during the final round of play.
Bryan Kordupel recorded a two-round score of 150 (78-72) to finish tied for 23rd. The senior's opening-round 78 featured 10 pars and a birdie on the par-four No. 6. Kordupel's one-over-par 72 in the final round included nine pars and five birdies as he fired a three-under-par 33 on the front nine. The Boardman, Ohio, native birdied four of his first six holes while making par or better on 11 of his first 13 holes in the final round.
Playing as an individual, Cade Kreps finished tied for 31st with a two-round 152 (77-75). The junior's first-round 77 featured 10 pars and a pair of birdies as he made par or better on eight of his final 10 holes. Kreps' final-round 75 included 12 pars and a birdie on the par-three No. 2 as he made par or better on 13 of his first 15 holes.
Brian Terlesky, who also competed as an individual, posted a two-round total of 156 (78-78) to finish tied for 48th. The junior's opening-round 78 featured 10 pars and a birdie on the par-five No. 15 as he notched a two-over-par 38 on the front nine. Terlesky's second-round 78 included 12 pars as he made par on 11 of his first 15 holes.
Chicago State's Camron Jones shot a two-round 140 (65-75) to earn medalist honors by one stroke over Purdue Fort Wayne's Kasey Lilly.
Youngstown State will continue its spring schedule on April 17-18 with the Wright State Invitational at Heatherwoode Golf Club in Springboro, Ohio.
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