Morales Leads Big Ten Championships by 2 over Gophers' Crousore

TIMONIUM, Md. -- A year ago, Northwestern won the Big Ten men's team championship, thereby snapping the nine-year reign of Illinois. And the Wildcats did it with an exclamation point, winning by 15 shots.

But it looks as though the Illini will reclaim the title this year. On Friday, they put together a four-man total of 10-under-par 270 on Baltimore Country Club's Five Farms Course in the first round of this year's conference tournament -- and had a seven-stroke lead right out of the blocks. They had to deal with intermitent rain and a 90-minute lightning delay Saturday, but emerged with a six-stroke lead going into Sunday's final round. 

Illinois has a 36-hole total of 552 (8 under). As strange as it might sound, Oregon is second -- in the Big Ten? -- at 558, after matching the low team score of the day with a 279. The standings are packed tightly after that. Five more teams are within four of the Ducks, and Minnesota is one of them. The Gophers are tied for fifth with Ohio State at 561, close behind third-place Indiana (559) and fourth-place UCLA (560). 

Minnesota is being led by freshman Jack Crousore. A lefty from Blufton, S.C., Crousore opened the tournament with a 69 on Friday. On Saturday, he notched six birdies, three on each side, and made one bogey on each side. The resulting 66 gave him a two-day aggregate of 135 That has him in second place in the individual standings, one stroke behind the tournament leader, UCLA senior Omar Morales, who shot 67 on his way to 133. Morales, an All-American from Puebla, Mexico, made four birdies in his 66 on Day 1 and did the same thing on Day 2. The only difference was that he made his only bogey of the weekend so far on Saturday at the 450-yard, par-4 13th hole.

Meanwhile, Crousore's birdies on the front side came at the par-3 second and the par-4 fifth and sixth holes. After making the turn, he birdied the par-5 12th, the par-4 16th and the 488-yard, par-4 18th. His two bogeys came at the par-5 fourth (586 yards) and the par-4 14th (444).

Right behind Crousore is a foursome tied for third place at 136. 

Leading the way for Illniois on Saturday were a pair of freshman -- Trey Marrion, who shot 67, and Jake Birdwell, who posted a 68. Marrion had a 76 on Day 1; so he's nowhere in sight on the leader board. But Birdwell is one of that group of four players tied for third at 136. The long-hitting freshman from Spring Lake Park (he won the Minnesota state high school Class AAA  individual championship two years ago as a junior, famously driving the last hole, the 390-yard, par-4 18th at Bunker Hills, and then two-putting from 18 feet to secure his two-stroke victory) made three birdies Saturday -- on a par 4 (No. 5, 377 yards), a  par 3 (No. 7, 196) and a par 5 (No. 12, 600 yards). His only bogey came a the 222-yard, par-3 15th, as he shot 68 for the second day in a row.     


Big Ten Men's Golf Championships

At Baltimore CC - Five Farms Course

Par 70, 7,177 yards

Timonium, Md. 

Second-round results 

1. Illinois                   270-282--552

2. Oregon                 279-279--558

3. Indiana                 277-282--559

4. UCLA                    278-282--560

T5. Minnesota         281-280--561

T5. Ohio State          282-279--581

7. Maryland               280-282--562

T8. Michigan State   281-283--564

T8. Wisconsin          282-282--564

10. USC                   288-279--567

11. Purdue                285-285--570
 
12. Michigan             288-283--571

13. Northwestern       284-288--572

14. Nebraska              287-287--574

15. Rutgers                283-293--576

16. Washington         290-289--579

17. Penn State          289-291--580

18. Iowa                     294-289--583

Individual results 

1. Omar Morales, UCLA                    66-67--133

2. Jack Crousore, Minnesota         69-66--135

T3. Jake Birdwell,, Illinois              68-68--136

T3. Clay Merchent,Indiana              66-70--136

T3. Greyson Leach, Oregon            68-68--136

T3. Jay Gould-Healy                        67-69--136

T7. Max Herendeen, Illinois             63-74--137

T7. Yang Kuang, Maryland               67-70--137

T32. Eduardo Galdos, Minnesota  68-75--143

T32. Cormac Sharpe, Minnesota   72-71--143

T43. Chun-Ta Wu, Minnesota         72-72--144

T43. Bennett Swavely, Minnesota  73-71--144