Franklin, Tenn. - Sophomore Tyler Gruca fired an opening round even par 71 to lead the Georgia State men's golf team after the first round of the Mason Rudolph Championship at The Legends. With three newcomers in the line-up, the Panthers fired an opening round 301 to stand in 13th place.
Gruca, the only Georgia State golfer to play in every event last season, stands tied for 11th place after a round that included 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey.
"Tyler had a solid round of golf for us today," commented head coach Joe Inman. "With three newcomers in the line-up, I think nerves played a roll today. I think the team is looking forward to getting back out on the course tomorrow and I expect we will play much better."
Freshman Davin White and senior Clemens Dvorak shot rounds of 76 and are tied for 59th with 36 holes to play. White, making his collegiate debut, had a three-hole stretch on the front nine that ruined what could have been a good round. Following a 40 on the front-nine, White shot even on the back.
Dvorak, who spent the last two years at Meridian Community College, followed White with a 40-36 split, making his lone birdie on the par-5 14th hole.
Senior Jared Cagle shot an opening round 78 to stand in a tie for 66th. Cagle made three birdies, but a three-hole stretch in which he went 5-over derailed his round.
Freshman Damon Stephenson, also making his collegiate debut, finished day one tied for 76th following an opening round 81. The native of Australia shot 40-41 in his debut, with his lone birdie coming on the par-4 seventh hole.
Sam Jandel, a transfer from Illinois playing as an individual also made his Panther debut, firing an opening round 78 to stand tied for 66th. The sophomore shot 37-41, opening his play on the back nine.
Georgia Southern shot an even par 284 to stand in first place after day one. Oklahoma and Middle Tennessee stand one stroke back after 1-over par round of 285. Memphis and Davidson stand in a tie for fourth at 4-over par.
Joe David of Ole Miss, Oklahoma's Charlie Saxon, Davidson's Richard Fountain and Georgia Southern's Scott Wolfes opened the tournament with rounds of 69 to stand tied for first. They are followed by a group of six tied for fifth at 1-under par.
This will mark the 11th time the tournament has been competed in its current format. Georgia State's name appears throughout the record book, running away with the title in 2004 when Ty Harris set the tournament scoring record at 18-under after shooting the lowest round in tournament history, a 63, during the first round. The Panthers won the tournament by 20 strokes, as Harris recorded an 11-stroke victory.
Tee times continue on Saturday at 9 a.m. off both the first and tenth tees. Sunday's tee times will begin at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring can be found throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com.
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