Northridge Sidetracked in 1st Round

The Tan-Tar-A Resort and Golf Club, site of the 1988 NCAA Division II men’s golf championships, lies in the heart of the Lake of the Ozarks, in an area nestled in the foothills of central Missouri.

It is an area that the local chamber of commerce bills as The Land of the Magic Dragon in reference to the shape of the 129-mile-long lake that winds through the region.

On Tuesday, after the Cal State Northridge golf team turned in a less-than-enchanting, first-round performance on the 6,456-yard, par-71 Oaks Course, the Matadors tried to forget about their torturous day spent in the dragon’s lair.

Northridge’s 25-over-par 309 put the Matadors in a fifth-place tie with Troy State--18 strokes behind tournament-leader and defending national champion Tampa.

“We got our bad day out of the way,” said Northridge senior Tony Chieffo, whose team-best 3-over-par 74 placed him in a three-way tie for eighth. “Hopefully, we’ll play better the next three days.”

It might just take three days to overcome the lead enjoyed by Tampa (291) and second-place Florida Southern (292) in the remaining rounds of the four-day, 72-hole tournament.

The hilly Oaks Course, co-designed by Bruce Devlin, is not especially lengthy, but the majority of fairways are tight and tree-lined. In addition to nine water hazards, there are 60 sand traps scattered on the fairways and protecting the small, bentgrass greens.

“It’s the type of course where it’s easy to take a big number,” said Northridge’s Bill Cullum, whose team-high 82 did not count against the Matadors’ score. “One bad shot can cost you two or three.”

Northridge freshman Rick Irwin and senior Gary Finneran both shot 77. Wayne Tyni, a junior who finished fifth in this tournament last year, shot 81.

Matador golfers, however, weren’t the only ones having problems. Only three players shot par or better, with Todd Mudge of Florida Southern leading the way with a course-record 67. Jeff Leonard of Tampa, the defending individual champion, and Bob Brown of Bryant College (R.I.) are tied for second at 71.

“I’ve been in Illinois for two weeks practicing on this kind of grass,” Mudge said. “I was prepared for this. I played this course a couple of times a few weeks ago and I played two practice rounds before the tournament started. I know this course pretty well.”

Northridge, which played practice rounds Sunday and Monday, began the first round on the more difficult back nine. The Matadors tee off this morning on the easier front side, a switch welcomed especially by Tyni, who was 8-over par after five holes.

Northridge Coach Jim Bracken is reasonably optimistic about the Matadors’ chances of getting back into contention. “Anything can still happen,” he said.