BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — The Parkside Men's Golf Team opened the GLIAC Conference Championship on Friday with a strong showing at Bedford Valley Golf Club, finishing tied for 5th place after Round 1 with a team score of +1 (289). With only the top four teams advancing to Medal Match Play, the Rangers remain firmly in the hunt heading into Saturday's crucial second round.
Set on one of the premier courses in the Gull Lake View Golf Resort, the new venue provided excellent scoring conditions, and the Rangers took full advantage — especially down the stretch, playing the final two holes at 5-under par as a team. Parkside's scoring average of 74.02 highlighted a well-balanced performance across the lineup.
Andrew Conrad continued his stellar spring with a round of 69 (-3), placing him in a tie for 2nd just one shot off the lead. Conrad birdied two of his last three holes, including a standout finish at the par-4 18th where he stuck a lob wedge from the right rough to within 10 feet and drained the birdie in front of family and teammates.
Aleck Simms caught fire late in his round, going three-under over his final four holes to shoot even par (72) and finish T-12. Simms' highlight came on the par-5 7th, where he hit an approach in tight and converted the eagle putt, capping off a clutch rally that kept Parkside in contention.
Peter Blazevic carded a 73 (+1), highlighted by a chip-in birdie on the difficult par-4 2nd, one of just four birdies made on that hole all day. He currently sits T-17 and within striking distance of the top of the leaderboard.
Hayden Underhill and TJ Floberg both posted 75s (+3) and are T-30 heading into Saturday. Underhill made four birdies in Round 1, including one of just three birdies on the par-4 15th. Floberg had one of the day's longest birdie putts, draining a 35-footer on the par-3 17th, giving him a boost heading into Round 2.
Parkside returns to the course Saturday morning for the second round at Bedford Valley, with a spot in medal match play on the line. Live scoring is available at ParksideRangers.com/coverage.
