May 28, 2008
West Lafayette, Ind., May 28, 2008 - The Nittany Lion golf team fired an opening round of 27-over par 315 to stand tied for 25th in a 30-team field after the first day of the 111th NCAA Division I Golf Championships on the Kampen Course at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind.
Sophomore Kevin Foley (Somerville, N.J) led the Lions firing an opening round 3-over par 75 to stand tied for 23rd six strokes off the pace set by first round leader Kevin Chappell of UCLA. Chappell, ranked No. 4 in the nation, shot a 3-under 69. Fifth ranked UCLA was tied with No. 1 USC atop the team leader board, both firing rounds of 9-over par 297 to open play. The top 15 teams advance to the finals. Penn State is currently six strokes behind four teams on the cut line tied for 12th at 21-over par 309.
Foley fired an even par 36 on the back nine, including back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14, as he led the Lions on the par 72, 7,450-yard course. Senior Robert Rohanna (Waynesburg, Pa.) was one shot back after posting one birdie and five bogies on the day for a 4-over par 76. Sophomore Jim Markovitz (Bridgeville, Pa.), playing his first competition of the spring after suffering a broken arm over the winter, fired a 9-over par 81 to stand tied for 114th.
Senior Harvin Groft (State College, Pa.) fired an 11-over par 83 to stand tied for 126th and sophomore T.J. Howe (Osceola, Pa.) shot 12-over par 84 to stand tied for 135th.
Play in the NCAA Championships continues through Saturday