Great Lakes Wire

The Northern Michigan University men's golf team completed the first round of the Lewis Flyer Spring Invitational at Cantigny Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois, placing fourth with a score of +19. The team shot a total of 307, trailing third-place Quincy by six strokes and leading the Lewis 'A' team by one stroke.

Walter Ylitalo led NMU with a score of +3, tying for eighth place. His performance included a front nine score of 37 and a back nine score of 38, totaling an 18-hole score of 75. Ylitalo achieved two birdies: one on the par four 12th hole and another on the par five 2nd hole.

Russel Sprecher followed closely behind, shooting +4 to tie for fifteenth place after round one. Sprecher scored matching nines of 38 for a total of 76, with his sole birdie occurring on the par four 1st hole.

Eric Yun ended the day tied for eighteenth place with a +5 score of 77. Yun's only birdie came on the par three 13th hole. Tyler Annala completed NMU's scoring lineup in twenty-fifth place with an opening round score of +7 (79). Annala secured birdies on two challenging par five holes: the seventh and fourteenth.

Arthur Ylitalo finished tied for twenty-eighth after shooting eight-over-par. His game improved significantly in the second half, where he managed an even-par second-nine that included going -1 over his final eight holes.

Competing as an individual, Joe Luke concluded his round in forty-sixth place with a score of 93. He recorded his only birdie on the course's third-hardest hole, the par four sixth.

The tournament will continue tomorrow morning with the final round at Cantigny Golf Course.