Freshman Hugo Bernard shot a season-best 7-under-par 65 Tuesday in cold conditions at Green Valley Ranch in northeast Denver to grab the individual lead, and he helped his Saint Leo (Fla.) squad into the top spot in the team standings after the opening round of the men’s NCAA Division II Championship Finals.
Bernard, a Canadian, made eight birdies and a bogey Tuesday to take a two-stroke advantage over Freddy Braun of Wilmington (Del.). John VanDerLaan of Florida Southern and Matt Hutchins of Chico State (Calif.) share third place at 68.
Saint Leo, ranked No. 2 among DII teams, posted a 10-under-par 278 total to grab a four-shot advantage over top-seeded Chico State (Calif.) and Florida Southern in the 20-team field.
At the men’s DII finals at GVR, the format calls for three rounds of stroke play, followed by two days of medal-match play. The individual champion will be determined after the first three rounds. The top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play will advance to the medal-match play portion of the championship.
The women’s NCAA Division II finals will begin Wednesday at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora. Both tournaments will conclude on Saturday.
The men’s and women’s tourneys are part of the NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in which titles in six sports (M&W golf, M&W tennis, softball and women’s lacrosse) will be decided.
Tickets for the DII National Festival will be $5 per person per day, or $15 for an all-session pass for the week. Tickets purchased at one site will be valid at all other competition sites.
For scores from the men’s DII finals, CLICK HERE.
