Bradley newcomer Lyle Burns shot a six-under, 66 round in the final round of the Derek Dolenc Invitational to tie a 48-year old school record for lowest round.
Burns finished sixth and helped lead the Braves to finish sixth at the tournament. Bradley had the lowest, team round in the final round with a 289. Freshman Dan Lensing shot a one-under 71 during the final round, the best in his young college career.
“I hoped he would be on his game, and he certainly proved it by shooting a 66,” senior Danny Masrin said. “He didn’t feel comfortable during the practice round, but you can never tell how well or how poorly he is playing.”
Masrin rejoined the Braves for his first tournament of the season due to personal issues. Masrin tied for 18th in his debut with a three-round score of 223 and was second best on the team for the tournament.
“It was great to have an all-conference performer back out there,” coach Jeff Roche said. “It put others at ease friendship-wise to have Danny back.”
Junior Bobby Jacobs tied for 47th finishing six shots behind Masrin with a 229. Lensing finished tied for 64th with a 233 and senior Seth Trolia finished tied for 68th with a 234. Trolia, the team’s top starter, has struggled in each of his first two tournaments this season.
“Seth is putting a lot of pressure on himself because he is a senior,” Roche said. “He has been hitting the ball really well and we will see good things coming up.”
The men finished second out of the five Missouri Valley Conference teams at the tournament. Missouri State beat the Braves by 11 strokes, while Southern Illinois, Drake and Evansville all followed Bradley in placement.
Bradley will travel to Illinois State where they will play in the D.A Weibring Intercollegiate. The women’s team, wrapped up a seventh place finish in the Redbird Invitational this past week.
Danielle Lemek picked up where she left off last season by finishing second at the Redbird Invitational and powering the team to a seventh place finish.
“I was super excited to get back in the college atmosphere,” Lemek said. “I missed a lot of birdie putts. I’m not upset, but I know that I am capable of more.”
Lemek was eight-over par for the tournament with a three-round score of 224. Sophomore Paige Jordan finished tied for 38 with a total of 236.
“Paige did a great job in terms of composure and the mental game,” women’s coach Mary Swanson said.
Next week, the Braves will travel to Louisville for the Cardinal Cup.
