Chattanooga leads Men's Golf Championship after first day

PINEHURST, N.C. – Chattanooga put three players in the top six and all four counting scores in the top 11 to hold the lead after Sunday’s first round of the Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship at the par-72, 7,118-yard Pinehurst No. 9. Samford sophomore Harlan Winn holds the individual lead with a career-low 3-under-par 69.

The Mocs, looking for their first SoCon title since 2013, shot a collective 2-over 290 as a team to hold a two-stroke lead over three-time defending league champion ETSU. Chattanooga sophomore Will Porter led the way with a 2-under 70 to match his career-best round, while Etienne Brault and Andrew Weathers sit amongst a five-way tie for sixth at 1-over 73. Porter turned in a nearly spotless card, countering a bogey on the par-4 14th hole with three birdies. Brault rebounded nicely after triple-bogeying his first hole of the day, playing the remainder of his round at 2-under.

The Mocs’ remaining scoring card came from Lake Johnson, who turned in a 2-over 74 to site in a three-way tie for 11th.

Right behind Chattanooga is ETSU, which had led after each of the last four rounds of the SoCon Championship going back to the 2016 season. The Bucs have two players in the top four in freshman Jack Rhea, who is alone in third at 1-under 71, and defending SoCon medalist Guentae Kim, who is tied for fourth at even-par. ETSU’s Trevor Hulbert is tied for 11th at 74 and freshman Shiso Go, who leads the squad in stroke average this season, is tied for 14th at 3-over 75 as the Bucs shot a collective 292 (+4).

UNCG, which has finished runner-up to ETSU in each of the last three seasons, is third at 9-over 297 and has a pair of student-athletes in the top six. Bryce Hendrix is tied for fourth after firing a 72, and freshman Nick Lyerly is tied for sixth at 73.

Furman is fourth in the team race at 13-over 301, and sophomore Keller Harper, who leads the league in stroke average, is among the sixth-place tie at 73.

Samford’s Winn was the individual story from day one, as the second-year player from Mountain Brook, Alabama, shot the best round of his collegiate career with five birdies on the day. He is joined in the top 15 by junior Aaron Walker, who carded a 3-over 75 to sit in a tie for 14th to help the Bulldogs to a fifth-place effort in the opening round at 15-over 303, two strokes back of Furman.

Mercer follows in sixth at 21-over 309, with Western Carolina another 10 strokes back. The Catamounts’ Dylan MacQueen is among the sixth-place tie at 73.

Wofford rounds out the team scoring in eighth at 320, one stroke behind Western Carolina.

The tournament resumes Monday with teams going off of holes 1 and 10 starting at 8 a.m. Live stats can be found on www.GolfStat.com.

2018 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship
Pinehurst No. 9
Par 72, 7,118 yards
Pinehurst, N.C.

Team results
Place Team            Rd1
1 Chattanooga         290
2 ETSU                    292
3 UNCG                   297
4 Furman                 301
5 Samford                303
6 Mercer                   309
7 Western Carolina  319
8 Wofford                 320

Individual leaders
Place Team                                            Rd1
1 Harlan Winn, Samford                          69
2 Will Porter, Chattanooga                      70
3 Jack Rhea, ETSU                                 71
T4 Geuntae Kim, ETSU                           72
T4 Bryce Hendrix, UNCG                         72
T6 Etienne Brault, Chattanooga               73
T6 Andrew Weathers, Chattanooga         73
T6 Nick Lyerly, UNCG                              73
T6 Keller Harper, Furman                         73
T6 Dylan MacQueen, Western Carolina   73

-www.SoConSports.com-