Men's College Golf
Rider Leads Field at Bucknell-Day One

LEWISBURG, PA?Some golfers will try anything to improve their game, even breaking their backs.  Rider junior Tyler Brewington (Orangeville, Pa./Benton) suffered a fractured vertebra in a car accident less than a month ago, and on Friday shot his best round of golf in a year to lead the Broncs to first place at the Bucknell Invitational.

After shooting a 289 in the first round, the Broncs shot a best-ever 282 in the second round, led by Brewington's 69, to lead the 15-team field going into the third and final round Saturday on the par 70 Bucknell University Golf Course.

Brewington shot a 70 in his first round since the car accident, and his 69 in the second round gave him a 139 to lead the field. “If my scores start to climb I might have to get into another car accident, if that is what it takes,” joked Brewington, a two-time All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference golfer. “I was in a neck brace for about two weeks. Last week it came off, and this week the doctor cleared me. It was painful at first to swing the clubs, but the pain went away this week.”

“Tyler's return meant a lot,” said first-year head coach Bob Whartenby, a former three-time All-MAAC golfer at Rider. “Getting a solid player back into the line up, the rest of the team feels more relaxed.  You know he's going to come in with a good score. I felt once Tyler got back it would make the other players play better. It just brings the best out of everybody.”

Junior Josh Krumholz (Reading, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) shot a 70 and a 71 for a 141, good for fourth among the 83 golfers. “Josh is playing so good right now,” said Whartenby.

Junior Dylan Maxey (Montrose, Pa./Montrose Area) shot a 70 and a 72 for a 142 and is currently fifth overall, and sophomore Eric LeFante (Colts Neck, N.J.) shot a 79 and a 70 for a 149, good for 18th place.

“I'm still not 100 percent,” said Brewington, “and I still can't swing as hard as I could before. That might have helped me today. I had a good tempo today because I knew I had to or else I would hurt my neck. Last fall at the St. Bonaventure tournament I shot a 68, and that was the last time I broke 70.”

Play continues with the final 18 holes on Saturday.

Team standings: Rider 571, Bucknell Blue 582, St. Francis-PA 589, Bucknell 590, Lehigh 597, La Salle 599, Robert Morris 602, Lafayette 603, Duquesne 605, Colgate 605, Mount St. Mary's 610, Susquehanna 620, Fordham 627, St. Peter's 627, Messiah 645

-RU-