HOME OF BULLDOG MEN'S GOLF - 24 SCIAC Championships

No. 9 Redlands Men’s Golf Falls to 11th After Day 3 of NCAA Championships

A rough third day on Friday for the No. 9 University of Redlands men’s golf team at the 2009 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Championships in Port St. Lucie, FL, dropped the Bulldogs to 11th place on the team leaderboard.

After finishing up Thursday’s session in a deadlock for seventh, Redlands struggled on the PGA Golf Club's Dye Course on Friday and put the team’s title hopes on hold for the time being.

Sophomore Alex Hedlund (Arlington, WA) experienced his toughest round yet after coasting through the front half of the tournament, shooting 4 over par on the day. Hedlund remains among the top golfers in the event, however, as his 220-stroke total (+4) gives him a tie for ninth heading into the final round.

Despite posting a +5 score of 41 on the front nine, junior Ross Canavan (Redlands, CA) straightened himself out after the turn, carding a 78 for the round. With a 226-stroke, three-round total, he occupies a share of 43rd place at 10 over par.

Senior J.C. Riter (Portland, OR) shot a 78, which brought his cumulative score to 231 on the championship. Sophomore Scott Peña (Encinitas, CA) posted a 78, raising his total to 236, while sophomore Todd Steller (Poway, CA) rounded out the Bulldogs with a 79 (238).

No. 2 Methodist University recaptured its lead, using a 289-stroke day three total to jump Thursday’s leader, the No. 3 University of La Verne. Mitchell Fedorka of La Verne, who has held at least a share of the lead since the end of day one, remained atop the individual leaderboard after the third round.

Tomorrow marks the final day of competition. The first Bulldog golfer is set to tee off at 12:10 p.m. EST on the par-72, 7,123-yard Dye Course.

Redlands, runner-up at the NCAA Championships four out of the past five years, snatched up one of two at-large bids into the event. The No. 11 University of Texas at Tyler, the other at-large team chosen, currently anchors down fourth place.