Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Mason Rudolph Championship
Middle Tennessee in eighth after day one of the Mason Rudolph Championship
4/4/2025 8:33:00 PM | Men's Golf
FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The Blue Raiders fired a 2-over-par 286 on Friday to sit in tied for eighth place after the opening day of the Mason Rudolph Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Club. Redshirt junior Markus Varjun paced MTSU with a 1-under-par 70 and is tied for 15th in the individual standings.
Due to inclement weather surrounding the Nashville area and this weekend's forecast, the Mason Rudolph Championship features continuous play, as teams attempt to play as many holes as possible each day.
Host institution and 18th-ranked Vanderbilt is atop the leaderboard after posting a round of 16-under-par 268 on Friday. Third-ranked Ole Miss is second at 12-under-par 272, while No. 2 Auburn is third at 8-under-par 276
Vanderbilt's Ryan Downes leads the individual standings after firing a tournament record opening-round or 10-under-par 61. He was followed by Vanderbilt's Wells Williams at 8-under-par 63 and Ole Miss' Kye Meeks and Michael La Sasso and Auburn's Jackson Koivun at 4-under-par 67.
Second-round action was suspended at roughly 7:20 p.m. this evening. Round two of the Mason Rudolph Championship will resume on Saturday, Apr. 5, at 8 a.m. CT. The Blue Raiders are paired with Liberty, Wisconsin and individuals from Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
The Lineup
• Redshirt junior Markus Varjun paced the Blue Raiders with an opening round of 1-under-par 70 to sit tied for 15th place. He is currently 2-under-par on the tournament midway through the second round.
• Freshman Thad Whitfield carded an opening round of even-par 71 to sit tied for 27. He is currently 8-over-par on the tournament midway through the second round.
• Junior Luke Perkins posted an opening round of 1-over-par 72 to sit tied for 30th. He is currently 2-over-par on the tournament midway through the second round.
• Senior JJ ZImmer logged a 2-over-par 73 in the opening round to sit tied for 53rd. He is currently 2-over-par on the tournament midway through the second round.
• Freshman Charlie Bell rounded out the Blue Raiders with a 10-over-par 81 to sit in 80th place. He is currently 13-over-par on the tournament midway through the second round.
Coach's Comments: Mark McEntire
"I thought we played pretty solid today," said Head Coach Mark McEntire. "Markus led the way and played very well. We are still struggling to get five balls in play. We need to finish strong and get it going in the final rounds tomorrow."
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