NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Brandon Molson (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) finished 46th to pace Saint Peter's to a 14th-place finish after the first round of the NCAA New Haven Men's Golf Regional on Thursday.
Molson had the best day for the Peacocks, posting birdies on the fifth, 14th and 17th while recording bogeys on one, two and 11 and a double bogey on 13. The senior went into the final hole with two-over par score, but then hit an unplayable ball on the 18th hole and finished with a triple bogey to end round in 46th place with a five-over par total of 75,11 strokes behind the current leader.
The Course at Yale maybe considered a short course with 6,803 yards and a par of 70, but the course also contains many hills and valleys that make it one of the toughest courses that has also been named the No. 1 collegiate course in the country.
Eric Edmunds (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles), who was the team's top golfer at the NCAA Sugar Grove Regional last year, ranks 54th after the day. The senior posted bogeys on one, three, five, seven, nine and 13 while registering pars on the other 13 holes to finish the afternoon with six-over par round of 76.
Dominic Diaz (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Nicholas Dilio (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) and Brian Grubbs (Cortez, Colo./Montezuma Cortez) each finished with an eight-over par round of 78. Diaz posted bogeys on eight holes and had pars on the other 10 holes, Dilio had bogeys on six, nine, 13 and 17, double bogeys on four and 10 and pars on the 12 other holes while Grubbs posted bogeys on four, 11 and 16, a double bogey on 13 and a triple bogey on nine along with pars on the remaining 13 holes to finish with a 78.
South Florida leads the three-day event with a score of 281 while Ohio State (282), San Diego State (284), Vanderbilt (285) and Oklahoma State (286) round out the Top-5 teams. The Peacocks sit in 14th place with a score of 307, which is the best round of the four rounds the team has posted in the NCAA Regionals in team history. Six strokes separate the final four teams.
Saint Peter's is making its second appearance in the NCAA Regionals after winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's Golf Championship on Apr. 26 for the second-straight year. Last year, the Peacocks participated in the NCAA Sugar Grove Regional and finished 14th with scores of 338, 324 and 328 for a three-round score of 990 on May 15-14. All five players are playing in their second NCAA Regional.
Saint Peter's will be paired with Robert Morris and the individuals for the second round on Friday. The teams will tee off from the 10th tee starting at 9:50 a.m. Diaz will be the first Peacock to tee off at 9:50 a.m. and will be followed by Dilio (10:01 a.m.), Grubbs (10:12 a.m.), Edmunds (10:23 a.m.) and Molson (10:34 a.m.).
