The WVU Tech golf team ended day one of the River State Conference Golf Tournament played Sunday on The Cobb Course at The Resort at Glade Springs tied for the lead.
Tech standout Bryson Beaver also held the overall lead among the individuals after the initial 18 holes.
Monday afternoon, when round two came to a close, everything stood pretty much the same, sorta.
The Golden Bears were still tied for the lead as a team, but Beaver was able to increase his margin from one stroke to four, by firing the best round of the tournament thus far.
The final 18 holes of the tournament will be played Tuesday on the Cobb Course with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. due to weather concerns in the afternoon.
Following day one, Tech was tied with Indiana University-Kokomo. After day two, it was Indiana University-East who had the strong day to move even with the Golden Bears.
Even though WVU Tech eventually held on to its first round advantage, the ride to the finish line took some perseverance amongst the team.
“We were down 10 or 12 shots today,” WVU Tech head coach Garrett Goosman said. “IU-East played really well on the front (nine). They had a couple of guys under par at one time.”
Patience and course knowledge played a big part in the comeback for the Golden Bears.
“We just kept our composure, Goosman said. “We know on the back (nine), (holes) 16, 17 and 18, we can make up a lot of shots, or lose some shots. Even No. 10 played tough today.”
On Sunday, Beaver fell victim to a couple of rough holes himself.
Getting his round to four-under par at one point, the former Class AA state champion from Herbert Hoover settled for a round of one-over par 73 on day one.
Beaver started hot again Monday playing the first nine holes at two-under par. His patience and mental fortitude were put to the test on hole No. 10.
“The round was a lot like yesterday. I was two-under on the front, go to No. 10 and make double (bogey),” Beaver explained. “I was concerned it would end the same way, but I just battled and made three (birdies) in a row to shoot two-under.”
Making matters more frustrating for Beaver was how the bad hole developed.
Even though his tee-ball was right of the fairway, it caught the cart path, bounding over the hill into a ditch.
Coach and player did not want a repeat of Sunday if they could prevent the slide.
“Me and him had a chat going down No. 12. I just reminded him to keep his composure because he had plenty of golf left,” Goosman said. “He kept his composure and played really well on the back.”
The second round leader birdied 12, 13 and 14 with his only stumble coming at the difficult par-4, 16th which requires two shots over water to a well-guarded green by several bunkers.
“I think it was the mental side. I was not as angry today,” Beaver said about the difference between the two rounds. “I also think it helped that the bad hole came early today and not on 15 or 16. I was able to keep my head and grind it out.”
Philip Rothoff (77), Robert Akerman (77) and Lukas Lange (78) rounded out the team scoring Monday for the Golden Bears.
“We are happy with how all of the guys have played so far,” Goosman said. “We have 18 more holes, so hopefully we can do something special.”
“It is going to take all of us for sure. If I can continue to hit the ball like I am hitting it, I will have no problem,” Beaver said. “Hopefully the guys can catch a heater and get hot. We just need to continue the way we are playing and not get out of it. Stay in it mentally and grind.”
Sam Firebaugh (IU-East) and Rodrigo Portilla (Rio Grande) are four shots back in second place, while Mason Compton (Alice Lloyd) is five shots shy of the lead in fourth. Jake Miller (IU-East) is in fifth, six shots behind Beaver.
University of Rio Grande is third in the team competition with four shots to make up on the leaders and Midway University is six shots back. Midway has won the last three RSC Men’s Golf Championship titles.
IU-Kokomo fell to fifth place and is 10 shots back of first place.