Men Start Strong at Irish Creek But Fell Back in Strong Field

Saturday, April 2

Kannapolis, N.C. / The Club at Irish Creek

Dartmouth College

Irish Creek Intercollegiate

Jason Liu teeing off at the Club at Irish Creek, April 2, 2022

Jason Liu carded a 4-under 67 in the second round.

Photo by: Tim Cowie

Men Start Strong at Irish Creek But Fell Back in Strong Field

4/2/2022 9:06:00 PM | Men's Golf

Results

Captain Jason Liu enters the final round in a tie for fifth

By: Rick Bender

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Dartmouth finished the first round of the Irish Creek Intercollegiate in fourth place, but even with a solid second round, watched the field play even better as the Big Green men's golf team ended the day in 13th overall in the 15-team field at 10-over par (578).

Graduate captain Jason Liu was one of five players with two eagles on the day and wrapped up the first two rounds in a tie for fifth with a 5-under 137 thanks to a career-low 4-under 67 during his second tour of the 7,099-yard, par-71 course at The Club at Irish Creek.

Scores overall were low on the day with no fewer than 33 players concluding play under par after 36 holes. So even though Liu was 1-under after the first round with three birdies and an eagle on the 322-yard par-4 fifth hole, he was still only tied for 18th. He was even better after lunch, opening his second round with three pars, a birdie and another eagle, this time on the 584-yard, par-5 14th. At the turn, he was 2-under par, and he matched that over the front nine with three more birdies, giving him the best round of his Big Green career.

While Liu was shooting a 70 in the first round, his senior teammate Mark Turner was one stroke better with a 69 (-2). After a bogey on 10 to open his round, he quickly recovered with an eagle on the 582-yard, par-5 13th and a birdie on 15. Two more birdies on the front nine helped him complete his strong round in a tie for 11th. Even with another eagle in the second round on 14 (as Liu did just minutes later) and one more birdie, a tough three-hole stretch sabotaged his score and left him at 3-over on the day, dropping back into a tie for 50th.

Senior Charles Petrie carded a 71 (E) in the first round with five birdies, then returned for a 78 (+7) in the afternoon to end up tied for 77th. Freshman Justin Lee sank seven birdies — matching Liu for the most on the team — between the two rounds and closed out the day tied for 70th with a 6-over 148.

Co-host Charlotte, ranked 27th in the nation, leads the 15-team field at 20-under par (548), three strokes ahead of 21st-ranked Ole Miss. The 49ers' Dongjin Park sits atop the individual leaderboard as well with a 132 (-10), with Lipscomb's Ford Goldasich three strokes back.

Dartmouth will tee off the final round tomorrow beginning at 8:54 a.m. on the back nine.