Baker Tied For 29th At NCAA Regional

COLUMBUS, Ohio-- Iowa State senior golfer Chris Baker dropped back from the field after firing a 75 in the second round of the NCAA Central Regional Friday afternoon at the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. Baker is currently tied for 29th at 6-over par (73-75=148).

“Two bogeys on the par fives really hurt him (Baker) today,” ISU head coach Jay Horton said. “With this course, there is no let up. Every hole is tough and you have to stay focused.”

Baker had a total of six bogeys in his round, but finished strong with a birdie on the final hole.

“The birdie on 18 was a great way to end the day,” Horton said. “He was frustrated with how he played today, but he dug deep and hung in there at the end.”

Baker will conclude the tournament tomorrow morning with 18 holes. Baker will have to finish in the top-two of the five other individuals and among the competitors who are not among the top-10 teams in the field in order to advance to the NCAA Championships, May 28-31 in West Lafayette, Ind. If the tournament ended today, Baker would be nine spots out (11th place) of securing an individual bid to the NCAA Championships. However, only three strokes separate him from the current top individual qualifier (Charles Ford, Tennessee, 145).

NCAA Central Regional Second Round Results (Top-10 teams)
1. Wake Forest   290-287=577
2. Alabama   292-295=587
3. Illinois   298-292=590
    Penn State   304-286=590
5. Eastern Kentucky  302-289=591
6. Texas A&M   298-294=592
    Oklahoma State  293-299=592
8. Florida   294-300=594
    Louisville   301-293=594
10. Kent State   302-295=597
      Indiana   300-297=597

NCAA Central Regional Second Round Top Individuals
1. Kevin Tway, Oklahoma State 70-69=139
2. Brendan Gielow, Wake Forest 69-72=141
3. Dustin Groves, Wake Forest 72-70=142

Iowa State Scores
T29. Chris Baker 73-75=148