Men's Golf Leads BIG EAST Championship After Day One

OKATIE, S.C. -- One year after finishing in ninth place, the Creighton men's golf team sits atop the leaderboard after 18 holes at the 2019 BIG EAST Championship, Presented by Jeep. Bluejay senior Brad Keyer, who placed 36th at the event last year, owns the overnight lead after an even-par 72 that featured four birdies.

Keyer birdied the fourth and fifth holes to quickly ascend to the top of the leaderboard, and made the turn at a 1-under 354. The senior from Las Vegas birdied the 11th hole before three consecutive bogeys, only to regroup and get back to even par with a birdie on the 17th hole. His approach shot on 17 from 183 yards trickled down a slope to within eight inches for a tap-in birdie. His start is in marked contrast to a year ago, when he finished 36th after loops of 82, 86 and 74.

"I've been thankful for everything that the program's given me," said Keyer in a post-round interview with BEDN. "Coach and the guys are fantastic and they never stopped believing in me. I've put in the work, day in and day out, going through the process and been staying committed to what I've been working on and trusting that the results will come."

Keyer is one of three Bluejays in the top 10 after 18 holes, as he's joined by senior Koy Potthoff and sophomore Nate Vontz, both of whom fired a 75 with two birdies to rank tied for seventh.

Freshman Tucker Knaak is tied for 13th place after an opening-round 76 in his first BIG EAST Championships, while junior Andrew McCormick is tied for 40th place after a round of 84 on day one.

Creighton's 298 total is six shots better than any of its previous 15 rounds at the BIG EAST Championship, and its best at any league event since a 293 in the opening round of the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference meet.

"Everyone on the team has bought into trusting the process and doing the work that we feel like we need to and paying attention to the details," added Keyer. "On a great course like this, if you're not paying attention to the details, it'll get you."

DePaul sits in second place, three shots behind Creighton after a 301, while No. 43 Marquette ranks third with a 303. The course measures 7,003 yards and is a par 72 layout.

The BIG EAST Championship continues with 18 holes on both Saturday and Sunday at Callawassie Island, with tee times beginning at 7 a.m. Central each day. Live results from the meet can be followed at http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=teamPlayer&tid=17959.

Team Scores – First Round
1. Creighton            298 (+10)
2.   DePaul                 301 (+13)
3.   Marquette           303 (+15)
4.   Butler                   304 (+16)
T5. Seton Hall            309 (+21)
T5. Villanova             309 (+21)
7.    Georgetown       312 (+24)
8.    Xavier                  316 (+28)
9.    St. John's             322 (+34)

Top Individual Scores – First Round
1.   Brad Keyer, Creighton                    72
T2. Mark Benevento, Villanova           73
T2. Logan Sabins, Butler                      73
T2. Patrick Allgeier, Butler                    73
T2. Charlie Spencer-White, DePaul    73
6.   Joey McCarthy, DePaul                  74
T7. Nate Vontz, Creighton                  75
T7. Koy Potthoff, Creighton                 75
T7. Garrett Wood, Xavier                     75
T7. Matt Murlick, Marquette               75
T7. Eduardo Blochtein, Georgetown 75
T7. Hunter Eichhorn, Marquette         74

Saturday Tee Times (All Times EST)
8:00 – Gerald Mackedon, St. John's, Hunter Roberts, Xavier; Noah Moss, Georgetown
8:10 – Adrew Baek, St. John's; Nick Frey, Xavier; William O'Neill, Georgetown
8:20 – Tyler Gerbavsits, St. John's; Imaad Qureshi, Xavier; Hardin Councill, Georgetown
8:30 – Ross Moore St. John's; Martin Jaramillo, Xavier; Patrick DiPasquale, Georgetown
8:40 – Austin Briggs, St. John's; Garrett Wood, Xaiver; Eduardo Blochtein, Georgetown
8:50 – Gregor Tait, Seton Hall; Danny Dougherty, Villanova; Augie Hartnagel, Butler
9:00 – Andres Acevedo, Seton Hall; Matt Davis, Villanova; Michael Cascino, Butler
9:10 – Gen Nagai, Seton Hall; Reb Banas, Villanova; Raymond Sullivan, Butler
9:20 – Deven Ramachandran, Seton Hall; Connor Daly, Villanova; Logan Sabins, Butler
9:30 – Chris Yeom, Seton Hall; Mark Benevento, Villanova; Patrick Allgeier, Butler
9:40 – Tyler Leach, Marquette; Grant Boyson, DePaul; Andrew McCormick, Creighton
9:50 – Oliver Farrell, Marquette; Nik Gatmaytan, DePaul; Tucker Knaak, Creighton
10:00 – Austin Kendziorski, Marquette; Campbell Wolf, DePaul; Nate Vontz, Creighton
10:10 – Matt Murlick, Marquette; Joey McCarthy, DePaul; Koy Potthoff, Creighton
10:20 – Hunter Eichhorn, Marquette; Charlie Spencer-White, DePaul; Brad Keyer, Creighton

NEW: Creighton's Brad Keyer finished 36th last year in the Big East Tournament. After Day 1 of this year's championship, he's the outright leader at even par. And, his @CreightonMGolf team, which finished last in 2018, is in 1st with Day 1 winding down. A surprise @CallawassieSC: pic.twitter.com/dx96u5i7yG
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) April 26, 2019

Men's Golf Leads BIG EAST Championship After Day One

Players Mentioned

Brad Keyer

Tucker Knaak

Andrew McCormick

Koy Potthoff

Nate Vontz

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