SILVIS, Ill. - It was a long day for the Lewis-Clark State College men's golf team on Thursday, but the Warriors still have a shot at finishing in the Top 10 at the NAIA National Championships.
The Warriors stand tied for 11th after three rounds of the tournament, which has been hampered by bad weather. The final 18 holes are scheduled for Friday.
The Warriors, who were ranked No. 26 in the final NAIA poll, found themselves in a surprising second place after the first round on Tuesday, but weather problems on Wednesday meant playing 27 or more holes for each LCSC player on Thursday.
By the time the second round was finished, the Warriors had fallen to a tie for 12th. LCSC shot a team score of 314 in the second round after opening with a 289. In the third round, the Warriors fought back with a solid 293 on Thursday afternoon for an 896 total.
Oklahoma Christian has led from the start and is running away with the tournament. It has a 23-shot lead with a 5-over-par 857.
LCSC is at 896, just 10 shots behind fourth place Grand View. LCSC also is only three shots out of eighth place.
Individually, the Warriors continue to be paced by senior Connor McCracken of Eagle, Idaho. McCracken is tied for 18th overall with a 221 total, while freshman Drew Reinland of College Place, Wash., is two shots back at 223. Reinland had a 3-under-par 68 during the third round of the tournament, the best score posted by an LCSC golfer in the tournament.
Originally, the tournament featured 29 teams and 15 individuals, but the field has been cut to the top 17 teams for the final round.
Team scores - 1, Oklahoma Christian 857. 2, South Carolina Beaufort 880. 3, British Columbia 881. 4, Grand View 886. 5, tie, Lee and Johnson& Wales 890. 7, Cumberlands 891. 8, Oklahoma City 894. 9, tie, Texas Wesleyan and Malone 895. 11, tie, Lewis-Clark State and The Master's 896. 13, St. Ambrose 899. 14, Southern Nazarene 901. 15, tie, Point Loma Nazarene and Our Lady of the Lake 909. 17, St. Thomas 913.
LCSC - Connor McCracken 71-74-76-221, Drew Reinland 73-82-68-223, Jason Molner 72-77-79-228, Kyler Gable 77-82-71-230, Tyler Johnson 73-81-78-232.
