By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MADISON, Ill. – In a race with the sunset, the Tennessee Tech men's golf team and 17 other teams competing at the SIUE Dolen Invitational were able to knock out the first two rounds of action at Gateway National Golf Links Monday evening.
Officially opening their 2024-25 campaign, the Golden Eagles ended the first day of play in Madison, Ill. tied for 12th overall with Northern Iowa. Both teams ended the day with scores of 577, with Tech posting rounds of 290 and 287.
Host SIUE paced the field of 18 with an impressive day on the links, turning in scores of 277 and 276 for a 15-under 553. Bradley's Connor Hamm topped the individual leaderboard of 99 golfers with a day of 64-67=131.
Paving the way for the purple and gold was a veteran and a rookie, each tying for 23rd overall with rounds of 141. Junior Haden Maxwell carded a 1-under 70 in the opening round before finishing off the day with an even-par 71. Overall, he totaled five birdies and 27 pars for the day.
Making his collegiate debut, freshman Hil Thompson opened it with a bang by ripping off six birdies for a 3-under 68. He followed it up with two more birdies for a 73.
Newcomer Matthew Shull was next on the leaderboard for the Golden Eagles, producing scores of 74 and 75 to total 149 and tie for 61st. Senior Alexander Bassel bounced back from an 82 in the opening round to fire off a career-low 69 with six birdies for a 151.
Rounding out the day for the Cookeville crew was Alex Broyles. The sophomore ended the day with rounds of 78 and 74, totaling 152 overall.
The second round of the SIUE Dolenc Invitational will feature an 8:15 a.m. shotgun start with the Golden Eagles set to start their day on holes 12 through 14.
| Top 5 Teams: | ||||||
| 1. | SIUE | 277-276=553 | -15 | |||
| T-2. | Bradley | 279-278=557 | -11 | |||
| T-2. | Wichita State | 283-274=557 | -11 | |||
| 4. | Lindenwood | 277-282=559 | -9 | |||
| 5. | Southern Illinois | 281-281=562 | -6 | |||
| T-12. | Tennessee Tech | 290-287=577 | +9 | |||
| T-12. | Northern Iowa | 288-289=577 | +9 | |||
| Leaderboard (99 Golfers) | ||||||
| 1. | Connor Hamm (Bradley) | 64-67=131 | -11 | |||
| T-23. | Haden Maxwell | 70-71=141 | -1 | |||
| T-23. | Hil Thompson | 68-73=141 | -1 | |||
| T-61. | Matthew Shull | 74-75=149 | +7 | |||
| T-74. | Alexander Bassel | 82-69=151 | +9 | |||
| T-79. | Alex Broyles | 78-74=152 | +10 | |||
File photo by Jim Dillon
