PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL- Colorado Christian began their title defense with three rounds of stroke play at the PGA National Resort the past three days. CCU gutted out some difficult rounds as they showed their resiliency and skill to take first place overall and advance to match play for the second straight season.
ROUND ONE
Adam Duncan led the team in a difficult first round as he battled his way to a 71 with five birdies.
Peyton Jones netted an eagle and two birdies to card a 73, and
Sungyeop Cho sank four birdies for a 73 as well.
Sangha Park posted three birdies on his way to a 74, and
Xavier Bighaus tallied a 77 with a birdie.
ROUND TWO
Sitting in ninth place after the first round, CCU went to work in round two as they closed well to climb the standings. Park led the team in the second round as he used a pair of eagles and three birdies to card a 70 as he closed with an eagle on 18 to help his team. Duncan remained steady with another 71 on a pair of birdies, and Bighaus and Cho combined for eight birdies to each post rounds of even-par 72. Jones closed with a 76 on three birdies as the team climbed five spots into fourth place by the time the second round came to an end.
ROUND THREE
The Cougars showed their experience and skill in the final round of stroke play as they continued to climb the leaderboard and post excellent scores across the entire team. Park was on fire all day, shooting a 67 with seven birdies as he finished in a tie for second place in the nation. Duncan fired a 72 with four birdies to close in a tie for 11th. Jones was excellent as he fired a 68 with five birdies and an eagle on hole 18 to finish in 24th overall. Cho closed with a 73 on a trio of birdies as he claimed 28th. Bighaus shot a 76 with an eagle and pair of birdies for 59th overall.
As a team, the Cougars shot an overall score of (291, 285, 280) as they claimed first place overall and advanced to match play for the second straight season.
Match play begins tomorrow morning as CCU faces off with a familiar foe in Oklahoma Christian. The Cougars and Eagles met in the semifinals last season when Colorado Christian took them down 4-1 to advance to and eventually claim the National Championship. The first tee time off of hole 1 will be at 6:20 a.m. MDT with 10 minute increments between each pairing.
