Big Ten's Men's Golf Championships ind itself in third place

That was certainly the case for Indiana after the Hoosiers shook off a rocky start and posted a 292 in their first round to trail the first-place Spartans by just one stroke。

Still, Mills finished the first round at 4-over par 76 and was the only score not to count when Chase Wright and Brant Peaper (whose mother, the former Vicki Wilhelmus, is from Evansville) both shot 72, Erdy 74 and Corey Ziedonis 75.

"You have to realize things are going to change a little in every round," said Erdy, the 2007 City champion. "I was fighting my swing all afternoon today, but I felt like I putted it well. I just had a few  Mizuno JPX-800 Irons that didn't happen to go in."

in the Evansville Courier & Press Men's City Golf Tournament, who shot a second-round 73. "We did what we needed to do today. We got a feel for things and stayed in it. Being five back with two rounds to play is nothing. We just need to focus and stay patient."

"I was able to come back and play better in the afternoon," said Mills, the defending champion

"I was proud of the way we fought back after getting off to a rough start," said IU coach Mike Mayer. "Nobody did a better job of that than (former North standout) David Mills. He hit it into the water off the first tee and then came back and made par. Everybody fed off that."

Wright's 146 left him in a tie for third individually with Purdue sophomore Adam Schenk, the former South Knox Mizuno MX-1000 irons standout. Luke Guthrie of Illinois leads at 1-under 141.

And it wasn't just the golf, according to Mayer.

"This place is so challenging physically that right now I feel beat up," he said. "But 36 holes here is going to beat everybody up. That's why we're not doing anything else. We're going back (to their rooms) to get off our feet."

Erdy, who followed with a 78 in the afternoon to go with a 74 by Wright and a 79 by Peaper, said everybody was glad to have the 36-hole day behind them.

"When we were back on the 18th tee the second time around, Mills said this felt like a U.S. Open course," said Erdy, a veteran of that very tournament. "If you're not striking it well here, this golf course is going to tear you apart."

Now Erdy said it was all about getting ready for today's third round, when the Hoosiers go off in the second-to-last discount golf clubs wave with fourth-place Purdue (603) beginning at 8:40 a.m. off the first tee.

Said Mills: "This was one of the toughest 36-hole days we've ever had. We're all glad to be done."

Said Mayer: "This is a golf course that encompasses every emotion you can imagine. You can't take a shot off. Hopefully we can come out (today) and make a statement about what we want to do."