PHOENIX, Ariz. --- Having to once again deal with inclement weather conditions, it was a battle for Biola Men's Golf to score well during the first two rounds of competition at the ACU Spring Invitational on Monday.

The rain poured down during the practice round on Sunday, making it a struggle for the Eagles to get a true feel for the course, but it cleared up on Monday and actually made for pretty good scoring conditions.
 
Head Coach Max Allen's team turned it into a round one 298 and round two 305 to finish the day at +27 and sit 26 strokes back from the leading team, Johnson & Wales, in 10^th place overall.
 
Austin Bishop and Tristan Ginkel were the highlights of the day during the first 36 holes of competition. Bishop carded a 71 and 76, while Ginkel came into the clubhouse with a 74 and 76.
 
The rounds from Bishop were close to what we've come to expect from that young man, who leads the Eagles in scoring average this season. But it was the pair of low rounds from Ginkel that really made a splash and helped the Eagles stay in the top-10 of the tournament.
 
"Tristan was -3 through the first 10 holes and was probably leading the tournament at one point," said Allen. "Tristan excelled making dozens of putts for birdies and par saves. Tristan was fighting a fever the day before we left and continually deals with horrible cold symptoms. He embraced the one for all mentality and competed. He hit the ball well but it was his putting that set him apart. Tee shots and approaches don't need to be executed to perfection but the putts do and this is exactly what Tristan did."
 
Ginkel came into the tournament with just three competitive rounds under his belt and had been averaging an 84. So, his scoring average on Monday was a whole nine strokes under his season average.
 
Bishop's average of 73.5 was about four strokes under his season average and his 71 in the first round was just one stroke off his best round of the year.
 
"Austin missed a terrific round by inches. He only missed one green in the first round but had 35 putts for a 71," said Allen. "If the hole were a half-inch wider Austin would have shot mid-60s. He was hitting it tight to pins but barely missing on the putts."
 
Kyle McAbee and Kaden Page were the two other Eagles to shoot scoring rounds on Monday. McAbee shot a 76 and 77 and Page followed a round on 80 with a round two 76. His second round 76 was a four strokes improvement that helped counter his teammates' higher scores in the second round.
 
"Kaden Page's play was nearly identical to Austin," said Allen. "He was steady hitting fairways and greens but just missing birdies. He's made great adjustments the past couple months to play like this. Even with these solid rounds he's always thinking how he can do more. It's great to see that tenacity, that's the kind of player that accomplishes his goals and performs under pressure."
 
The Eagles' 606 through two rounds has them within six strokes of seventh place. They are within striking distance of Marymount (604), Embry-Riddle (604) and the University of Victoria (600) with a solid final round.
 
"These scores are much more in line with our ability," said Allen. "It's refreshing to not have weather inflating our scores. We were steady and played well but there was a dozen strokes left out on the course today. We're going to get them back tomorrow."
 
Round three at Moon Valley Country Club began at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday.