Round 1 Results

WAVERLY, Iowa – Both Saint John's golf teams are tied for fourth out of 17 teams, seven shots from the lead, following the opening round of the Wartburg Spring Invitational held Saturday, March 28, at Prairie Links G.C. (par 72).

Sunday's final round begins with a 10 a.m. shotgun start.

Kirkwood C.C. (Iowa) leads the field with an 8-over par 296, one shot ahead of the tie for second place between Grinnell (Iowa) and Division II Upper Iowa at 297 (+9).

Senior Ethan Kress (Woodbury, Minn.) led the 10 Johnnies with an even-par 72, which ties him for fourth out of 96 golfers. He started off No. 2 and birdied the par-5, 529-yard No. 5 before a bogey on No. 9 (par 4, 364 yards) brought him back to even par. Kress tallied a par on the other 16 holes.

Junior Nate Appelhof (Blaine, Minn./Totino-Grace) and sophomore Gavin Grahek (Maple Grove, Minn.) followed with a 76 (+4) each for SJU Red.

Sophomore Mac Drake (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman) led SJU Blue with a 1-over par 73, which is tied for sixth overall. He started his first competitive round of spring with a bogey and double bogey but went -2 the rest of the way: three birdies, a bogey and 12 pars.

Sophomore Connor O'Hara (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) matched Drake's three birdies and was next with a 76 (+4), while the other three Johnnies on the squad – sophomore Marty Timmons (Brainerd, Minn.) and freshmen Braxton Berlin (Lake City, Minn.) and Lukas Ehmke (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) – were a shot behind with a 77 (+5) each.