Franklin Leads Beavers On Day One In Tucson
TUCSON, Ariz. – Alex Franklin fired an even-par 72 in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Saturday to lead the Oregon State men’s golf team.
The Beavers opened the three-day, 54-hole tournament with a 12-over 300 at the par-72, 7,200-yard OMNI Tucson National - Catalina Course and are tied for 11th in the 15-team field with 36 holes to play. New Mexico State (5-under 283), Santa Clara (4-under 284) and UTEP (1-under 287) were the only three teams to finish in red figures.
“The wind was blowing 20 to 30-miles per hour today, which made the course difficult at times,” Oregon State head coach Jon Reehoorn said. “Alex played a really solid round, which is what we have come to expect from him in difficult situations.
“We spent some time working on our short game after the round, and the guys will be ready for a solid last two rounds.”
Franklin, a senior from San Rafael, Calif., birdied two of the four par-5’s to go with 14 pars and two bogeys for an even-par round that puts him in a tie for 17th place.
Junior Chris Tedesco and sophomore Kevin Murphy each shot a 3-over 75 to put them in a tie for 37th place, while senior Scott Kim carded a 6-over 78 and junior Brian Jung finished with a 9-over 81.
Luis Medina of New Mexico State holds the individual lead through 18 holes after firing a 4-under 68.
The second round begins at 7 a.m. PT (8 a.m. MT) with tee times off the first and 10th holes. Live scoring is available at birdiefire.com.
