GREENVILLE, S.C. – Led by J.J. Grey's opening round 69, the Georgia State men's golf team shot a first round 1-under 287 to stand in a tie for second after the first day of the 45th annual Furman Intercollegiate. The Panthers are looking for their second win of the season and first of the spring.
Grey made four birdies and an eagle during his 3-under par round and is tied for third with 36 holes to play.
Georgia State, which entered the week ranked No. 50 in the country by Golfweek, has three golfers among the top 15.
“We played well today,” head coach Joe Inman said. “To only be trailing the No. 10 team in the country by two strokes is a good thing since we did make some mistakes down the stretch. It also shows how far we have come this season. The key now is for us to put together another good round on Saturday to give us a chance to win on Sunday.”
No. 10 Virginia Tech shot an opening day 3-under 285 to lead Georgia State and USC Upstate by two strokes. No. 36 Kennesaw State is in fourth following an opening round 288. Charleston Southern and Western Carolina round out the top-5 as each school shot 289 on Friday.
Senior Tyler Gruca and junior Davin White are tied for 15th at even par. Gruca made third birdies in his opening round with the only stumble being a double bogey on the final hole. White made four birdies during the first round as the Panthers played on a soggy Furman University Golf Course.
Freshman Nathan Mallonee opened play with a 2-over 74 and is tied for 46th with two days to play.
Junior Damon Stephenson is tied for 60th following an opening round 75. Stephenson was even par before bogeying the final three holes.
Senior Grant Cagle, competing as an individual, opened play with a 2-under 70 and is tied for fifth. Cagle made three birdies during the first round.
Seniors Ross Mclister, Victor Lavin and Kevin Lee also competed as individuals for the Panthers.
Mclister shot a first round 75 and is tied for 60th, while Lavin shot 81 and is tied for 105th. Lee shot a first round 82 and is tied for 108th.
Virginia Tech's Trevor Cone, ranked No. 69 in the country, opened play with a 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead into round two. Western Carolina's J.T. Poston, ranked No. 9 in the country, shot a 4-under 68. Grey is tied with Temple's Brandon Matthews at 3-under par for third. Cagle is tied with Marshall's Clark Robinson and Kennesaw State's Austin Vick at 2-under par for fifth.
The second round play slated for Saturday beginning with tee times at 8 a.m. and final round action scheduled to begin on Sunday morning. Georgia State will go off the No. 10 tee beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning with Virginia Tech and Wofford.
Following the event, Georgia State will return to the course for its final regular season event April 5-6 for the Irish Creek Intercollegiate in Kannapolis, N.C.
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