Round One In The Books At Olympia Fields

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. – The Arkansas men’s golf team opened play at the Fighting Illini Invitational with a team score of 295 on the par 70 Olympia Fields Country Club layout on Friday to sit in 13th place. The 15-team field features 12 teams that at least received votes in the preseason Golfweek/Bushnell coaches poll, including four of the top six teams.

Just one team finished the day under-par while three teams still have two holes to play after being pulled off the course due to lightning. The Razorbacks will return to the course for Saturday’s second round starting at 10:30 a.m. going off the 10th tee with Big Ten members Indiana and Northwestern.

Senior Kolton Crawford fired a team-low one-over 71 that included even-par 36 on the front. All three of Crawford’s team-high three birdies on the day came on the front nine while it marks the fourth time in the last five tournaments that he has been low-man at least one round. The Mansfield, Texas product is tied for 22nd place overall.

Crawford was backed up by fellow seniors Nicolas Echavarria and Taylor Moore to round out the top Arkansas scores. Echavarria equaled Crawford’s team-best three birdies, including a pair on the back to shoot even-par 34 en route to a 73. Entering the day with over 325 career birdies, Moore’s 75 uncharacteristically featured no birdies.

@RazorbackMGolf Lineup
T22. Kolton Crawford – 71
T33. Nicolas Echavarria – 73
T52. Taylor Moore – 75
T61. Zach Coats – 76
77. Alvaro Ortiz – 81

Fighting Illini Invitational Standings (Bushnell Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll)
1. Florida State (4) – 273 (-7)
2. Stanford (10) – 281
T3. Oklahoma State (16) – 282
T3. Illinois (1) – 282
5. Arizona State (6) – +5 (17-18)
T6. Baylor (25) – 287
T6. Texas Tech (RV) – +7 (17-18)
T8. Texas A&M (RV) – 289
T8 UNLV (RV) – 289
T8. Augusta State – 289
11. Texas (3) – 290
12. Alabama (17) – 293
13. Arkansas (RV) – 295
14. Indiana – +16 (17-18)
15. Northwestern – 300