Bucknell Men’s Golf Squad off to Good Start at Loyola Intercollegiate

Saturday, February 22

Goodyear, Ariz. (Palm Valley GC)

All Day

Bucknell University

Loyola Intercollegiate

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Bucknell Men’s Golf Squad off to Good Start at Loyola Intercollegiate

2/22/2020 9:32:00 PM | Men's Golf

LIVE SCORING

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – For the second week in a row, the Bucknell men's golf team got off to a strong start against tough competition. On Saturday at Palm Valley GC, freshman Jackson Bussell fired a 1-under-par 71, and the Bison shot a 4-over 292 first-round team score to sit in a tie for sixth place out of 19 teams at the Loyola Intercollegiate.

Battling rainy and windy conditions in their first trip to the state of Arizona since the 2007 NCAA Regionals in Tempe, the Bison finished the first of three rounds eight shots behind first-place Loyola Marymount (4-under 284). Drake is in second place after opening with a 286, followed by Marshall, Seton Hall and host Loyola Maryland, which is the only other Patriot League team in the field. Bucknell, Air Force and Eastern Michigan are all tied for sixth at 292, while South Dakota (294) and Delaware (295) round out the top 10.

Bussell, making his spring debut, fashioned a team-high five birdies to counter two bogeys and a double-bogey. After the double at No. 7, Bussell played his next 10 holes in 3-under, and he sits in a tie for ninth place on the individual leaderboard.

Peter Bradbeer followed with a 73, and Chris Tanabe and Jason Lohwater both shot 74. Bradbeer and Tanabe made three birdies apiece, while Lohwater made a pair.

Blake Wisdom's 76 was not counted, although he made the team's lone eagle of the day at the par-5 11th. He then birdied 13 and 14 to make him 5-under in a span of four holes to get back to even par, but a triple-bogey 7 on the 15th hole derailed his round.

Bussell was one of 25 in the 112-player field to shoot even par or better, and he was one of 11 to post 71. Roberto Nieves of Delaware moved to the front of the pack with a 5-under 67, one better than Loyola's Evan Brown and Drake's Lucas Scherf.

Bucknell will be paired with Drake and Missouri State in Sunday's second round, with tee times starting at 8:39 local time. The Bison will look to avoid a repeat of last week at the Martin Downs Collegiate in Florida, when they opened with a 6-under 282 before dropping down the leaderboard in round two.