Hoelzer 7-Under Through 36, No. 3 Owens Golf In First Place After Day One Of Regionals

Sophomore Brandon Hoelzer eyes the course ahead of him. After 36 holes, he sits in first place at the Region XII tournament. Photo by Josh Williams/Owens Sports Information
Sophomore Brandon Hoelzer eyes the course ahead of him. After 36 holes, he sits in first place at the Region XII tournament. Photo by Josh Williams/Owens Sports Information
Posted: May 12, 2014

By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Battle Creek, Mich.---The No. 3 Owens Community College men's golf team is in first place through 36 holes of the Region XII tournament due to the play of Brandon Hoelzer (Fremont Ross/Fremont, Ohio) and Philippe Weppernig (Luzern, Switzerland).

The tournament features three teams ranked in the nation's top 20.

The duo of Hoelzer and Weppernig has combined to shoot 10-under through the first day, while Harrison Long (Wilnecote/Tamworth, U.K.) isn't far behind with a 3-over 147. All three are in the top five with Hoelzer's rounds of 69 and 68 giving him a first place 137, while Weppernig's rounds of 70 and 71 have him at 141 and tied for second place.

Kirby Manown (Belle Vernon/Belle Vernon, Penn.) had rounds of 77 and 80 for a 13-over 157. He is tied for 28th. Dru Hein (Jasper/Jasper, Ind.) had rounds of 78 and 80 for a 14-over 158, which is good for a 30th place tie. Timothy Dawkins (Big Rapids/Big Rapids, Mich.) shot rounds of 79 and 85 for a 20-over 164. He is tied for 45th.

As a team, the Express shot rounds of 290 and 292 for a 6-over 582. They lead second place No. 7 Grand Rapids Community College (296/298/594) by 12 strokes. No. 18 Oakland Community College (305/301/606) is at 30-over as a team, which is good for third place. 

Other team totals, in order, are: Muskegon Community College (608, 32-over), Columbus State Community College (610, 34-over), Delta College (625, 49-over), Mott Community College (627, 51-over), Jackson College (635, 59-over) and St. Clair County Community College (645, 69-over).

The tournament, which is being held at Bedford Valley Golf Course in Battle Creek, will feature 18 more holes tomorrow. The top two teams after tomorrow's round advance to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II National Tournament. The Express won the Region XII tournament last year and finished 10th at nationals.

Notes

Hoelzer, who is the defending medalist at the Region XII tournament, has a four stroke lead over Jared Multer of Grand Rapids Community College and Weppernig for first place, while Long has a one stroke lead over Michael Maxwell of Columbus State for fifth place.

Through two rounds, the Express are five shots ahead of their 587 pace through two rounds last year.