A stormy day at Callawassie Island Club wasn’t enough to stop freshman Matthew Bachmann from his hot play in Okatie, South Carolina. The Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, native posted a 1-under-par 71 Monday afternoon to earn a share of the individual lead and keep Marquette tied for third at the BIG EAST Men’s Golf Championships.
Bachmann’s tremendous play comes on the heels of a steady 1-over-par 73 performance Sunday afternoon.
“I just kept it really stress-free,” Bachmann said after Sunday’s round. “A lot of pars, a lot of good swings. … It went well.”
Through 36 holes, Marquette posted a team score of 613 (304-309), which places them in a tie for third with Butler. However, they will have ground to make up Tuesday as DePaul sits 17 shots clear of the Golden Eagles.
All of the teams have dealt with unfortunate conditions throughout the past two days. Rain and winds exceeded 15 miles per hour, ballooned the average scores and caused the course to play slower.
“I was really proud of our guys and that they battled,” head coach Steve Bailey said after Marquette’s 304 opening round. “(The wind is) tough not only going into the greens, but on the greens as well when you’re trying to putt when the wind blows that hard.”
While Bachmann improved his score on the second day, the rest of the team averaged a 79 Monday. Sophomore standout Oliver Farrell posted a 80 Monday due to three double bogeys and five bogeys after registering a 76 on the first day. Senior Henry Klongland, playing in his last event as a Golden Eagle, carded a 79 on day two, three shots worse than his day one score.
To stay atop the leaderboard, Bachmann will have to fight off co-leaders Jonathan Hewett (DePaul) and Joey Arcuri (Butler). This will most likely mean avoiding mistakes, something the freshman has done a good job of thus far.
“I took my game plan from yesterday into today,” Bachmann said after round two. “Aggressive swings at conservative targets. You really have to just keep it in play here.”
Marquette will tee off on hole No. 1 with Seton Hall and DePaul this morning starting at 7:50 a.m.
