Three Bulldogs shoot in the 70s on day one of Doane Invite

LINCOLN, Neb. – Virtually ideal conditions greeted the field on day one of the Doane Invite held at Wilderness Ridge Golf Course in Lincoln, Neb., on Friday. Concordia junior Shawn Rodehorst led the way for the Bulldogs by carding a 76 (par 71, 6,518 yards), tying a season low. As a squad, Rodehorst and the ‘A’ team shot a collective 317 (fourth place out of seven).

“It was nice to see three shoot in the 70s and have Shawn back to a glimpse of what he’s capable of,” head coach Brett Muller said. “He shot a lower score on his back nine and Jared (Knoepfel) continued to have a nice freshman campaign. He’s been a solid 2 guy.”

Knoepfel followed Rodehorst with a 77. Like Rodehorst, Knoepfel improved on the back nine, shooting a 37 after carding a 40 on the front nine. Both Rodehorst (T-8th) and Knoepfel (10th) sit in the top 10 after Friday’s round.

The rest of the first Bulldog grouping was rounded out by senior Sam DeFreece (79), sophomore Sam Simonson (85) and freshman Court Croghan (87). DeFreece is tied for 12th on the individual leaderboard.

The Bulldog ‘B’ team included sophomore Garrett Suchanek (81), freshman Matt Lehenbauer (89), junior Sam Mayhall (91), freshman Grant Worthington (94) and senior Cody Lehmann (97). The top four on the B group combined for a score of 355.

“Garrett hit the ball well today,” Muller said. “He was consistent. He didn’t putt as well as he would have liked but it’s hard to complain with an 81 at Wilderness Ridge.”

Rodehorst, a native of Kearney, Neb., continues to make adjustments due to pain in his hip. Says Muller of Rodehorst, “he’s altered his swing and he’s trying to play with a little pain. He’s not carry a driver because of it.”

The Doane Invite continues on Saturday with 18 more holes. The final round will be contested at College Heights Golf Course in Crete, Neb. As Muller notes, College Heights typically lends to lower scores than Wilderness Ridge, known as one of the more challenging courses in the area.