Just as the UNM men's golf team began to heat up, the rains came to cool it off in the first round of the NCAA men's golf championship at Columbus, Ohio Wednesday.
The Lobos got off to a rough start, finishing the first nine holes at 10-over par. After making the turn, UNM went one-under before a late afternoon thunderstorm hit the Ohio State University Scarlet Course. UNM's nine-over par score puts them in a tie for 27th place with the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Only freshman Madalisto Muthiya finished his round. Muthiya finished with a one-over par 72. The Lobos' other four players return to the course Thursday morning at 7 a.m. to finish the first round before starting the second round.
UNM head coach Glen Millican said the team was doing well despite the bad start.
"The guys played solid after (the first nine holes), and we're not in that bad of shape," he said Wednesday night. "Everybody is just playing OK. In comparison to some other teams, we just didn't have that great round. We're fine. It's a long tourney and we got plenty of time left."
The University of Illinois leads the 30-team field with a nine-under par score. Georgia Tech University is in second, one shot behind the Illini. Illinois, Georgia Tech and UNM are among the 15 teams that did not finish their round.
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Millican said the Scarlet Course has been hit with a lot of rain during the past week, which softened the greens and contributed to the golfers' low scores.
With UNM starting its round from the 10th hole, Muthiya struggled at the outset with two bogies on the first two holes. The freshman then birdied the 12th and 16th holes and settled in at even par. Muthiya managed a bogey on the seventh to put him over par for the rest of his round.
"He didn't do anything special; he just didn't make any mistakes," Milican said. "He made a good number."
Will Collins bogeyed his first hole but followed with eight straight pars. His troubles began after he made the turn and double-bogeyed the first hole and bogeyed the third with a birdie sandwiched between the two. The senior followed that with another birdie on the fourth before the rains came.
The rest of the team didn't fare as well. Michael Letzig, Scott Hailes and Jay Reynolds combined for an 11-over par score on the front nine. The trio turned it around on the back nine with a 2-under score. Only the four best scores count toward the team totals, and Letzig, Hailes and Reynolds are at 3-over.
Millican said the course favors players who keep the ball on the fairways and the greens. He said there are plenty of birdie opportunities on the course, but a 3- or 4-over par score is not bad.
"If you can get the ball in the fairway a lot, (the course) is not that hard," Millican said. "If you miss a couple of fairways, it's hard to make par.
UNM came to Columbus fresh from a winning performance at the NCAA West Regional May 16-18 at its own Championship Golf Course. The Lobos tied the University of Washington for the top spot with a tournament-low four-under 284 in the final round. UNM finished with a 54-hole score of 8-over 872.
