The Georgia State men's golf team shot a first round two-under par 285 and leads after the first day of the 2009 CAA Men's Golf Championship at Callaway Gardens Golf Club.
The Panthers lead by five strokes over VCU heading into Saturday's second round after the Rams shot an opening round 290.
Freshman Allen John stands in a tie for second after an opening round two-under par 70. John made three birdies, including over the final two holes.
Sophomores Alan Fowler and Brent Paul each shot one-under par 71's to stand in a tie for fourth. Paul made five birdies and at one point reached four-under on the front nine.
Sophomore Tobias Rosendahl is tied for ninth after a 1-over 73, while junior Tom Sherreard stands in a tie for 13th after an opening round 74.
James Madison stands in third after an opening round five-over 293, while William & Mary stands in fourth after shooting 300. UNC Wilmington rounded out the top five, shooting 304 to start play on a day where weather conditions were good early in the morning, got windy toward midday and finally settled down as the last groups finished play.
A group of four golfers tied for fourth, each shooting one-under par as only seven golfers broke par on day one. Along with Fowler and Paul, James Madison's Fielding Brewbaker and VCU's Mark Jargren each shot 71.
The second round of play will begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning. Live scoring is being provided via Golfstat.com. The winner of this year's CAA Championship will receive an automatic bid into the 2009 NCAA Regionals in May.
