Liberty University
Maridoe Collegiate Invitational
Flames in 2nd Place after Day 1 of Maridoe Collegiate Invitational
9/13/2021 9:37:28 PM | Men's Golf
Facing one of the elite tournament fields of the fall golf season, No. 25 Liberty stands in second place following Day 1 of the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational.
The Flames, who are ranked No. 25 in the Golfweek preseason top 25 poll, fired a 3-over par 291 during their first time around the Maridoe Golf Club (par 72, 7,351 yards).
Liberty’s strong opening round play was paced by Connor Polender, who leads the 75-man field after firing a 4-under par 68.
The Flames trail No. 7 Oklahoma by one stroke after the Sooners opened the three-day event with a 2-over par 290.
Liberty will return to the Maridoe Golf Club on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. EST to begin round 2 from the No. 1 tee (420 yards).
In addition to live stat coverage provided by Golfstat.com, the Golf Channel will be broadcasting live from 4 to 7 p.m. EST each day of the invitational.
Round Recap – Liberty’s Starting Five:
- Connor Polender – 1 4-under par 68 (68)
- Kieran Vincent – T13 1-over par 73 (73)
- Austin Duncan – T26 3-under par 75 (75)
- Jonathan Yaun – T26 3-over par 75 (75)
- Austin Barbin – T62 7-over par 79 (79)
Field Reflections:
- The 15-team field features eight teams currently ranks in the Golfweek preseason top 25 poll: Arizona State (No. 3), Texas (No. 5), Oklahoma (No. 7), Wake Forest (No. 8), Texas Tech (No. 9), Texas A&M (No. 16), SMU (No. 21) and Liberty (No. 25).
- The Maridoe Golf Club was a stern test of golf on Monday, playing at an average of four strokes over par (76.16 scoring average).
- Only six teams in the 15-team field posted single-digit over par scores on Monday.
- The Flames hold a three-stroke edge over No. 5 Texas, who carded a 6-over par 294 during the first round.
- Polender was the only player in the 75-man field to post a sub-70 rounds and was one of seven players to break par.
- Fellow ASUN golfer Frankie Capan, III from FGCU is in second place after carding a 2-under par 70.
Birdies and Bogeys – Liberty Team Notes:
- Polender made the turn at even par, but had a near perfect back nine with four birdies and five pars to claim the first day clubhouse lead.
- Polender powered his way to the top of the leaderboard by posting a birdie on all four par-5 holes.
- Liberty was one of the most consistent teams on the course on Monday, ranking second in the field with 58 pars.
- Kieran Vincent is tied for 13th place following a 1-over par 73.
Course Information:
- Maridoe Golf Club (Carrollton, Texas)
- Par 72, 7,351 yards
Following the Flames at Maridoe Collegiate Invitational:
- Live stats will be available at Golfstat.com
- Twitter @LibertyGolf
- Instagram @LibertyGolf
- Round 2 Tee Time: Tuesday at 10:00 a.m./EST (off No. 1 tee)
