The Valparaiso University men's golf team teed off the 2026-2027 season on Tuesday, playing the first round and the majority of the second round at Iowa's ANF Fall Classic at the par-72, 7481-yard Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa. The Beacons had a few holes left in Round 2 when play was halted due to darkness. The remainder of the tournament will be played on Wednesday.
 
How It Happened

• Junior Rob Politza (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont Township) was Valpo's Round-1 leader, carding a 2-under 70 to begin his season.
• The par-5 fourth hole was kind to the Beacons in the opening round, as Politza, redshirt senior Ryan Somerville (Aurora, Ontario / Aurora) and senior Adam Melliere (Zionsville, Ind. / Zionsville) all eagled that hole.
• In the second round, Somerville climbed 11 places on the leaderboard and is at +3 for the tournament through 35 holes. He is tied for 31^st in the 86-player field, the best among Beacons. Somerville is even in the second round with one hole remaining.
• Freshman Tyler Samaan (Elgin, Ill. / Burlington) recovered from an 80 (+8) in his first collegiate round by trimming nine strokes off that score in Round 2. He elevated 25 places on the player leaderboard to crack the top 50, leaving off with one hole remaining in the second round.  
• As a team, the Beacons are at +43 for the tournament, ranking 11^th of 14 on the leaderboard. Valpo is ahead of Evansville, Chicago State and Eastern Illinois.
• South Dakota is atop the team leaderboard at -17, while Cole Witherow of the Coyotes holds the individual lead going into Day 2 at -10.

Up Next
The conclusion of the event will take place on Wednesday at Blue Top Ridge in Riverside, Iowa. A link to live scoring via Clippd is available on ValpoAthletics.com.