Leaderboard

PUEBLO, Colo. - Lukas Taggart's blistering -9 pace and a career-best day by Jake Welch propelled Colorado School of Mines to its best team performance of the year in third place at the Southern Colorado Masters.

The Orediggers carded their two best team scores of the season at 279 and 276 to get to -13 and sit in third after 36 holes, four shots back of #21 Colorado Christian and a stroke behind Colorado Mesa, while leading hosts and #8 CSU Pueblo by 10 strokes.

Monday was led by a remarkable pair of rounds by freshman Lukas Taggart, who shot 67 and 66 to be in second place overall on the leaderboard. Taggart's morning round saw him card six birdies against two bogeys to hit lunch at -4, and after starting out two over through five holes in his second round, the rookie was unstoppable on the back nine at Pueblo Country Club with seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch to come in with a 29 on the way to 66 and -9 for the tournament. 

Meanwhile, Welch carded an even-par 71 in the morning before two eagles in a four-hole span paced him to a career-low 68 in the afternoon. Welch sank eagles on the par-5, 555-yard 11th and par-6, 553-yard 14th, and it puts the senior in eighth place (-3) heading into the third round.

Ethan Adam is the next scorer for Mines tied for 14th after rounds of 69 and 73 to be even, and Theodore Reitter is a shot back tied for 16th after 73 and 70. Max Lange is T18 at +2 on twin rounds of 72.

Mines has four individuals in competition led by Carter Lolli, who carded 72 and a career-best 68 to be tied for ninth. Owen Cornmesser is +2 and tied for 18th at a 71-73 day, and Connor Downey had a pair of 73s to be T28 at +4. Jonathan Trigg is 56th after shooting 77 and 83. 

NOTABLES
- Taggart's 66 is the first by an Oredigger since Tim Amundson did it in the 2019-20 season at the Midwestern State Invitational, and the lowest round relative to par since Amundson shot a five-under 67 a year later at Walking Stick in Pueblo.
- Welch's previous career low was a 69 in the 2021 Mustang Intercollegiate. 
- The Orediggers' 276 bests their 281 shot shot in the Ryan Palmer Foundation Invite in October and is their lowest absolute team score since the 2019-20 season. 

NEXT UP
Final-round action at the Southern Colorado Masters tees off Tuesday morning.