CSUN Nears Division II Golf Title

So what if Jim Bracken had no idea what to expect at this year’s NCAA Division II golf championship at Bull Creek Golf Course in Columbus, Ga. The first-year Cal State Northridge coach is willing to play it as it lies, and right now it’s lying in the middle of the fairway. With 18 holes left in the 72-hole tournament, the Matadors are a chip shot from the national title.

Going into today’s round, CSUN (879) holds a six-shot lead over the University of Tampa (885). Troy State, Ala., is seven shots behind, followed by Cal State Sacramento (889), Florida Southern (891) and Columbus College (893).

Said Bracken, who is as surprised as anyone by his team’s performance: “I didn’t know what would happen here. We never see any of the teams back here. But we’ve gotten good balance from our players. We have three guys in the top 10, individually.”

After shooting rounds of 71 and 70 the first two days, Wayne Tyni shot 74 Thursday to share second place with Gary Young of Bryant College, R.I. at 215. Tyni and Young trail Jeff Leonard of Tampa by three strokes. Leonard shot 76 Thursday.

CSUN’s Tony Chieffo jumped to sixth place with a 72 and a 219 total. The third Matador golfer among the leaders is Tim Hogarth, who shot 76 to tie for seventh at 220.

“The pins were tucked today,” Bracken said of Bull Creek’s par-72 course. “And the tees were way back. This is a tough golf course. The greens here are a disadvantage to us because they are slower than what we’re used to.”

Tyni, a sophomore, will be paired with Leonard in today’s final round. Even though Leonard has led since Tuesday’s opening round, Bracken said Tyni has a good chance of taking individual honors.

“He’s had a good year and right now he’s striking the ball real well. I think he’s very confident,” Bracken said.

The Matadors’ Pat Boyd is at 230 after shooting 83 Thursday, and teammate Gary Finneran shot 78 to stand at 232.