October 16, 2023

Golden Eagles 10th through two rounds of Xavier Invitational

CINCINNATI, Ohio. – The first two rounds of action are officially in the books at the Xavier Invitational presented by Gateway Logistics, as the Tennessee Tech men's golf team rounded out Monday's first day of action at Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati.

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

CINCINNATI, Ohio. – The first two rounds of action are officially in the books at the Xavier Invitational presented by Gateway Logistics, as the Tennessee Tech men's golf team rounded out Monday's first day of action at Maketewah Country Club in Cincinnati.

The Golden Eagles finished the day 10th among 11 teams in competition, posting scores of 295 and 304 for a 599 total with one round to play. WKU led all teams by an impressive 14 strokes, firing an even-par 560. The Hilltoppers were led by Nic Hoffman, who paced all individuals with rounds of 68 and 67 for a 135.

A pair of sophomores were the leaders in the clubhouse for the purple and gold, starting with Haden Maxwell and his score of 146. Tied for 19th among 68 golfers, Maxwell ripped off an even-par 70 with three birdies in the opening round and followed it with a 76 in round two.

Fellow sophomore Anders Larson was right on his teammate's heels, carding a 74 with a pair of birdies in the opening round. He dropped a 73 in round two, producing two birdies and an eagle on the par-5 seventh hole on his way to a total of 147 and tie for 23rd.

Next among the Golden Eagle participants was Jackson Green, delivering back-to-back rounds of 76 with a birdie in each. The junior tied for 45th with a composite score of 152 for the 36 holes of action.

Junior Alexander Bassell kicked off the day with a 75 and two birdies before wrapping things up with an 80. He tied for 56th with a 155. Rounding out the Tech group, senior Mark McDearman put together scores of 81 and 79 for a 160.

The third and final round of the Xavier Invitational will begin at 8:00 a.m. CT for the Golden Eagles as part of a set of split tee times.

Top 5 Teams:
1.	WKU	286-274=560	+E
2.	Xavier	290-284=574	+14
3.	Oakland	289-290=579	+19
4.	Morehead State	288-301=589	+29
5.	St. John's	290-301=591	+31
10.	Tennessee Tech	295-304=599	+39

Leaderboard (68 Golfers)
1.	Nic Hoffman (WKU)	68-67=135	-5
T-19.	Haden Maxwell	70-76=146	+6
T-23.	Anders Larson	74-73=147	+7
T-45.	Jackson Skeen	76-76=152	+12
T-56.	Alexander Bassel	75-80=155	+15
T-64.	Mark McDearman	81-79=160	+20