Lincoln opens season

The Lincoln men's golf team officially opened its 2014 spring season after earning a 14th-place finish out of 18 teams in the Las Vegas Desert Classic on Monday.

The Blue Tigers finished with a team score of 629, while West Florida and Redlands tied for the tournament victory at 585.

The highlight of the two-day tournament, which was hosted at the Paiute Golf Resort in Las Vegas, came during the second round when sophomore Austin Wheeler hit a hole-in-one on the 16th hole.

Wheeler, who became the first Lincoln golfer to ace a hole since Steven Mallow accomplished the feat in 2012, rebounded from a first-round 85 to card a 79 in the second round, finishing 85th overall with a total of 164.

Mallow, a senior, tied with freshman teammate Blake Lammers for the team lead with a final score of 155, a mark that tied the duo for 50th on the individual leaderboard.

Lammers opened his first tournament with a 76 before firing a 79 in the second round. Mallow, who tied for the third-most pars of any player, shot a 77 and 78, respectively.

Nick Goeke was next on the leaderboard for the Blue Tigers. The senior finished in a tie for 67th with a final score of 159. Brian Lillevold concluded Lincoln's participation in the tournament by finishing fourth on the team with a 162.

Lincoln will play in its first Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association tournament when the Blue Tigers travel to Topeka, Kan., to compete in the Washburn University Capitol Plaza Invitational from March 17-18.