Sophomore Tobias Rosendahl led the 49th-ranked (Golfweek) Georgia State men's golf team with an opening round 72 (E), putting him in fourth place overall at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the par 72, 6,895 yard Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Sunday.

Rosendahl's 72 helped the Panthers to a fifth place team finish out of 15 teams with a 299 (+11) in the opening round.

Freshman Allen John and junior Tom Sherreard both carded 75 (+3) to settle into 24th place.

Sophomore Alan Fowler shot a 77 (+5) that puts him in 42nd place after the first round. Fellow sophomore Brent Paul's 80 (+8) leaves him in 72nd.

Georgia State trails 10th-ranked Arizona State, in the team competition, by nine strokes. Arizona State leads at +2, followed by #32 LSU (+8), Georgia Southern (+10), UAB (+10), #19 Tennessee (+11), #48 Coastal Carolina (+13), #17 TCU (+14), #21 Chattanooga (+15), #46 Tulsa (+16), UNC Wilmington (+17), North Florida (+17), #4 Alabama (+19), Furman (+22), and Duke (+26).

Arizona State's James Byrne leads the individual competition with a 68 (-4). 62nd-ranked Zack Byrd of Coastal Carolina and John Peterson of LSU are Byrne's closest competitors after shooting a pair of 71s to finish at -1.

Tobias Rosendahl's fourth place finish puts him in close company with some of the elite golfers in the nation including Tennessee's 13th-ranked Chris Paisley and UAB's 29th-ranked Zack Sucher, both finished at even-par.

On Monday, the Panthers will try to hold their position and have an opportunity to gain victories over several nationally-ranked opponents in a talent-laden field. The John Hayt marks a crucial event on Georgia State's road to the NCAA Regionals.

The second round begins tomorrow and will be covered live on www.GolfStat.com with score updates every three holes. Results and stories will be available at www.GeorgiaStateSports.com at the end of competition.