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No. 9 Redlands Men’s Golf Completes Day 1 of NCAA Championships

The No. 9 University of Redlands men’s golf team kicked off its play at the 2009 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships in Port St. Lucie, FL, on Wednesday at the PGA Golf Club's Ryder Course and finished up round one in a tie for 11th place, shooting nine strokes over par.

Sophomore Alex Hedlund (Arlington, WA) shot two under on the back nine, which included birdies on the 13th, 14th and 18th holes, to finish at two under on the round. Hedlund, who posted the team’s lowest score of the day with a 70, currently sits in a tie for sixth.

Consistent performances both going out and coming back in allowed sophomore Scott Peña (Encinitas, CA) to wind up in a tie for 52nd after round one with a 75, which put him three strokes over par. Junior Ross Canavan (Redlands, CA) and senior J.C. Riter (Portland, OR) stood one stroke off of Peña’s total, tying for 69th at four over (76).

Competing in his inaugural NCAA postseason event, sophomore Todd Steller (Poway, CA) rounded out the Bulldog quintet with an 84.

The 2009 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships are hosted by No. 2 Methodist University (NC) from May 13-16 in Port St. Lucie, FL, at the two PGA Golf Club courses. Host Methodist holds a commanding nine-stroke lead after day one with a cumulative total of nine under par. Tom Cooper of Methodist and Mitchell Fedorka of the No. 3 University of La Verne both hold a share of the individual lead.

Redlands earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Championships after finishing second in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The Maroon and Gray finished as runners-up at last year’s national championships and its appearance at the 2009 event marks the program’s 14th-ever trip to the postseason.

The Bulldogs are set to tee off tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. EST on the Dye Course. Following the completion of tomorrow’s round, the field will be cut to 23 teams and five individuals.

For live scoring throughout the event, please visit http://golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=1502.