Statesmen Place Sixth at Central Classic  

Pella--The William Penn men's golf team bounced back after a tough opening round in wet conditions to record a top-half finish at the Central Classic on Monday and Tuesday.

The Statesmen placed sixth out of 16 teams with a two-round score of 631 (327-304) at Bos Landen Golf Course.

Dubuque placed first at 599 (299-300), while John Dobbe of the Spartans topped the 87-golfer field at 144 (74-69).

Samuel Arnaud (Fr., Saint-Maur-des-Fosses, France, Biology) led the way for William Penn, tying for 17th overall with a score of 156 (80-76). Arnaud was the only Statesmen to have multiple birdies on the first day, with two. His two-birdie day was replicated in the second round, ending up with four for the tourney. 

Mario Palain (Fr., Zaragoza, Spain, Business Management) and Alvaro Rodriguez (So., Gijon, Spain, Business Management) tied for 33rd with scores of 161. Palain was consistent with a score of 81 on the first day and 80 on the second, while Rodriguez struggled on Monday at 85, but tuned things up at 76 on Tuesday.

Tyler Pedretti (So., Upland, Calif., Business Management) suffered to a 91 in his opening 18 holes, but proceeded to shoot lights out for his second round with an even-par 72 that featured an eagle. The sophomore tied for 39th overall with his 163.

William Penn's varsity lineup was rounded out by Archie Branks (Fr., Sydney, Australia, Sports Management), who tied for 42nd with 164 strokes (81-83).

The Statesmen sent a second squad to Pella to compete as well. The squad tied for 15th overall with 705 strokes (354-351).  Timothy Wacker (So., Gilbert, Ariz., Psychology) led the group after hitting 167 (83-84) for a 53rd-place finish.

"We played a very tough golf course this week," Head Coach Darin Fisher said.  "Bos Landen is an excellent test and was in excellent shape despite the rain early on Day 1.  We played better on Day 2 and I'm optimistic we can build off that for our home TPC event next week."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Silvis, Ill. next Monday and Tuesday to host The Statesmen at TPC Deere Run Golf Course.