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UNCG leads Men's Golf Championship after first round
PINEHURST, N.C. – Defending champion UNC Greensboro holds a six-stroke lead at the Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship after Sunday’s opening round at the par-72, 7,118-yard Pinehurst No. 9. Spartan sophomore Zack Swanson shot a 4-under-par 68 to pace the field.
UNCG, which won its first-ever SoCon Championship last season, opened its title defense with a 5-under-par round of 283, led by three players in the top 10. In addition to Swanson’s 68, the Spartans got a 3-under 69 from 2018 SoCon medalist Nick Lyerly, who sits among a three-way tie for second, and an even-par 72 from Jonathan Brightwell, who is among a three-way tie for ninth. The Spartans’ other counting score came from Bryce Hendrix, whose 2-over 74 puts him in a tie for 17th.
Swanson opened his day with a double-bogey but birdied two of the next three holes to get back to even. A bogey on No. 5 put him 1-over, but an eagle on the par-5 eighth hole put him under par to stay. He played the back nine at 3-under to match his low round of the season.
UNCG, which led by as many as nine strokes, has a six-stroke lead over ETSU and Mercer, who share second place at 1-over 289. The Bucs have a pair of student-athletes in the top 10, with Shiso Go tied for second at 3-under 69 and Jack Rhea tied for sixth at 1-under 71. Go fashioned a clean card, opening his round with nine straight pars before notching three birdies on the back nine.
Lino Galdin leads Mercer with a 2-under 70, which puts him alone in fifth place. The sophomore recorded four birdies and had just one blemish on his card, a double-bogey on the par-4 seventh hole.
Furman is another five strokes back in fourth (294), with reigning SoCon Player of the Year Keller Harper pacing the squad with a 71 and among the tie for sixth.
Chattanooga is fifth at 8-over 296 and has two players in the top 10 in Oliver Simonsen and Connor Nolan, who are tied for ninth at even-par 72.
Samford is sixth at 297, one stroke back of the Mocs, and saw freshman Connor Reid turn in the best round of his young collegiate career with a 3-under 69 to sit in a tie for second.
Wofford is seventh at 304, with Walker Simas rounding out the individual top 10 with a 1-under 71 to tie for sixth.
Western Carolina rounds out the field at 313.
Monday’s second round tees off at 8 a.m. Live stats can be found here.
2019 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship
Pinehurst No. 9
Par 72, 7,118 yards
Pinehurst, N.C.
Team results
Place Team Rd1
1. UNCG 283
T2. ETSU 289
T2. Mercer 289
4. Furman 294
5. Chattanooga 296
6. Samford 297
7. Wofford 304
8. Western Carolina 313
Individual leaders
Place Team Rd1
1. Zack Swanson, UNCG 68
T2. Connor Reid, Samford 69
T2. Shiso Go, ETSU 69
T2. Nick Lyerly, UNCG 69
5. Lino Galdin, Mercer 70
T6. Walker Simas, Wofford 71
T6. Keller Harper, Furman 71
T6. Jack Rhea, ETSU 71
T9. Connor Nolan, Chattanooga 72
T9. Oliver Simonsen, Chattanooga 72
T9. Jonathan Brightwell, UNCG 72