Alex Franklin Goes Low In Pullman
PULLMAN, Wash. – Alex Franklin made a decision he was going to step up his game, and he did just that in the first two rounds of the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate on Monday.
The senior on the Oregon State men's golf team fired rounds of 67 and 68 at Washington State’s par-70, 7,308-yard Palouse Ridge Golf Club to put him in a tie for seventh place with a 5-under 135 with the final 18 holes slated for Tuesday.
As a team, the Beavers did what they’ve done in each of the previous two tournaments by starting slow before rallying down the stretch. Oregon State opened with a 4-over 280 in the morning but responded with a 7-under 273 in the afternoon to move up two spots into eighth place in a 10-team field that includes eight Pac-12 foes.
The 7-under second round score equals the ninth-lowest single-round mark in school history and puts the Beavers in position to move up the leaderboard in Tuesday’s final round, which begins at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start.
| 8 | Oregon State | 284 | 273 | 557 |
| T7 | Alex Franklin (3) | 67 | 68 | 135 |
| T26 | Tyler Carlson (5) | 70 | 69 | 139 |
| T36 | Tyler Collier (2) | 74 | 67 | 141 |
| T43 | Jonas Liebich (4) | 73 | 69 | 142 |
| T62 | Conner Kumpula (1) | 75 | 70 | 145 |
“After the Husky Invitational, Alex knew he needed to find a way to get off to a good start, and he determined it was up to him to expect good things to happen instead of just waiting for them to happen,” Oregon State head coach Jon Reehoorn said. “We need to apply a little of that same thought process to the team. We need to have a better sense of urgency and begin attacking the course early and play with a chip on our shoulder.
“These guys can play as they showed this afternoon,” Reehoorn added. “Tomorrow is expected to bring much higher winds and I expect the course to play tougher. We need to be ready to compete on every shot.”
Franklin finished in a tie for ninth place in the fall’s first event, Golfweek’s Conference Challenge, and tied for 27th at last week’s Husky Invitational. He shot only round in red figures in those two tournaments before finding his groove on Monday. The lefty was in control all day with six birdies and only one bogey over the 36 holes, giving him a chance to record his fourth top-10 finish in just 16 career tournaments at Oregon State.
Junior Tyler Carlson carded a couple of solid rounds on Monday with an even-par 70 in the morning, which included three birdies, and a 1-under 69 in the afternoon with another three birdies. Carlson is tied for 26th place and has a chance to record his best finish as a member of the Oregon State, which is currently a tie for 19th as a freshman at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational.
Beaver freshmen Tyler Collier and Jonas Liebich have played well entering the tournament, and they each bounced back after a tough opening round to shoot under par in the second 18. Collier is tied for 36th with a 1-over 74-67--141, while Liebich is a stroke back and tied for 43rd with a 2-over 73-69--142.
Sophomore Conner Kumpula, who returned to the lineup after missing the last tournament with an injury, also played better in the afternoon and sits in a tie for 62nd place with a 5-over 75-70--145.
Four Oregon State golfers are competing as individuals. Their results: t32. Chris Tedesco 70-70--140 (E); t36. Kevin Murphy 71-70--141 (+1); t48. Brian Jung 74-69--143 (+3); t56. Scott Kim 72-72--144 (+4).
