Published: March 25, 2008 04:52 pm      

Bronchos erase first round struggles

A stirring afternoon comeback firmly entrenched Central Oklahoma within striking distance as the Bronchos stand three shots out of first place after the first day of the UCO/KickingBird Classic Monday.

UCO struggled in the opening round to finish a disappointing eighth before Chance Tatum provided a three-under 67 and Colby Shrum carded a two-under 68 in the afternoon to move the Bronchos up six spots in the standings after posting an impressive team total of 285.

St. Edward’s leads the tournament heading into Tuesday’s final round with 579, three ahead of UCO and five in front of Midwestern State.

Tatum stands first in the individual race with a two-under par 138 while Shrum is currently tied for second with a three-over par 143.

Zach Cleland shot 73-74 with Brent Cole firing 78-76 while Cooper Barrick rounded out the Broncho lineup with rounds of 78-77. Baer Aneshansley, playing for UCO’s “B” squad posted rounds of 70-75 to stand sixth in the individual honors.

“We had our backs up against the wall after the first round and the guys battled back to put themselves in contention,” said UCO head coach Dax Johnston. “Chance and Colby endured some rough conditions and really gave us the momentum we needed heading into the final round. Hopefully we can shoot some low numbers tomorrow and come away with a victory.”

The two-day tournament will conclude tomorrow as the teams will tee it up for another 18-holes beginning at 8 a.m. at KickingBird Golf Club in Edmond.