Men's Golf Bags 13 Birdies, Opens the NCAA Championships Tied for 14th Place

Hope is one stroke above the cut line heading into the second round

Fueled by 13 birdies, the Hope College men's golf team delivered a promising start to the NCAA Division III Championships.

The MIAA-champion Flying Dutchmen shot a first-round, 17-over-par 301 on Tuesday at Midvale Country Club in Penfield, New York, outside of Rochester.

Hope, the highest unranked team in the standings, sits in a four-way tie for 14th place at the 43-team, four-day tournament. The Flying Dutchmen are one stroke above the cut line heading into the second round on Wednesday, May 21.

The top 18 teams advance to tee off in the third and fourth rounds. Fifth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University is the first-round leader at 290.

Hope moves to the 6,770-yard Cobblestone Creek for the second round and is scheduled to tee off at 8:05 a.m. Officials moved the second round to a shotgun start because of a rainy forecast in the area.

The Flying Dutchmen's 13 birdies on the 6,558-yard course at Midvale Country Club tied for the seventh-most on Tuesday. Head coach Scott Lokers liked what he saw from his team.

"To see us high on the leaderboard through most of the round was encouraging. We just played better," Lokers said. "To be in the mix feels good."

Senior Will Webb (Lake Forest, Illinois / Lake Forest HS) and junior Patrick Michael (Carmel, Indiana / Carmel) fired 1-over-par 73s.

They are tied for 17th place and stand five shots off the lead, shared by Edward Coffren of Lynchburg University (Virginia) and Will Karkoc of Bethel University (Indiana).

Webb carded a team-best four birdies, including two during a 1-under 35 on the front nine.

Michael finished with three birdies, all during a 3-under back-nine. Michael birdies his final two holes: a 467-yard par-5 17th and a 218-yard par-3 18th.

Junior Liam Casey (Northville, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central) chipped in a 76.

Senior Jack Guerrera (Northville, Michigan / Detroit Catholic Central) shot a 79. Freshman Will Thomas (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) had an 80.

Gallery: (5-20-2025) NCAA Men's Golf

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Players Mentioned

Liam Casey: Junior; Businnes

Jack Guerrera: Senior; Accounting, Public Accounting

Patrick Michael: Junior; Communication

Will Webb: Senior; Communication

Will Thomas: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Liam Casey
: Junior; Businnes

Jack Guerrera
: Senior; Accounting, Public Accounting

Patrick Michael
: Junior; Communication

Will Webb
: Senior; Communication

Will Thomas
: Freshman