Aggie golfers take first-round lead at Drury Classic

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Oct. 3) – Four Cameron men’s golfers are among the individual top 10 and the Aggies have a commanding lead after the opening round of the Drury/Deerfield Inn Fall Classic. Coach Jerry Hrnciar’s squad, ranked No. 14 in the latest Division II national coaches poll, posted a team score of 294 on Monday at the par-72, 7,020-yard layout at Hickory Hills Country Club to outdistance Lone Star Conference rival and 11th-ranked Central Oklahoma by six strokes.

Cameron’s Owen Mahaffey also holds a share of the individual lead heading into Tuesday’s final round. The Wichita Falls, Texas, junior shot an even-par 72 to equal Missouri Western’s Scott Burnham and Matt Ellis of UCO. Canadian, Texas, senior Travis Lovins is just a stroke back in fourth, while Chevy Ryans sits among a pack of golfers tied for fifth after an opening-round 74. Cane Shumaker posted a 75 to land in a tie for 10th. Cameron’s throw-away score was an 80 from senior Brian Adams.

"We played really well today," Hrnciar said following Monday’s round. "Hickory Hills is a very difficult course, with trees everywhere and really thick rough. There’s just no place to hit out of in there and you almost have to step on your ball to find it if you go in there. We just did a better job of staying out of it than everybody else and hopefully we’ll be able to do the same on Tuesday."

Mahaffey rallied from bogeys on two of the first four holes on Monday, getting back to even par with birdies on No. 8 and No. 9. He parred just three holes on the back nine, but followed bogeys at 10, 13 and 17, with birdies on 12, 14 and 18. Lovins got to one-under on two occasions with birdies on 5 and 12, before settling for his 73.

Ryans ran into trouble early, carding a double-bogey at the par-4 fifth hole and a bogey on the par-4 sixth. But the Lawton junior played the four par-fives at Hickory Hills at three-under for the day. Shumaker was four-over at the turn, but shot a one-under 35 on the back nine to finish just three strokes above par.

Just three shots separate the four teams chasing Cameron in the team standings. Missouri Western is one stroke behind UCO at 301, followed by Drury at 302 and 19th-ranked Washburn at 303. Action in the 36-hole event resumes with Tuesday’s final round, which will be played at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield.

DRURY/DEERFIELD INN FALL CLASSIC
Hickory Hills C.C. (Springfield, Mo.) | Par 72 | 7,020 yards

Individual Leaders	Rd 1
1. Owen Mahaffey, Cameron	36 - 36 = 72
(tie) Scott Burnham, Mo. Western	36 - 36 = 72
(tie) Matt Ellis, Central Okla.	34 - 38 = 72
4. Travis Lovins, Cameron	36 - 37 = 73
5. Ben Perry, Mo. Southern	36 - 38 = 74
(tie) Luke Calcatera, Arkansas Tech	37 - 37 = 74
(tie) Michael Vitale, Central Okla.	37 - 37 = 74
(tie) Taylor Dunham, Washburn	38 - 36 = 74
(tie) Chevy Ryans, Cameron	38 - 36 = 74
10. Paul Slaughter, West Texas A&M	37 - 38 = 75
(tie) Brandon Machicao, Drury	36 - 39 = 75
(tie) Dan Frost, Lincoln	38 - 37 = 75
(tie) Cole Chmielewski, Drury	39 - 36 = 75
(tie) Andrew Bishop, East Central	38 - 37 = 75
(tie) Cane Shumaker, Cameron	40 - 35 = 75
(tie) Scott Delong, Drury	37 - 38 = 75