What you need to know:
* Georgia State shot a 4-under 284 on Sunday to take a two-stroke lead following the first round of the Cabo del Sol Intercollegiate in Los Cabos, Mexico.
* Junior Nathan Mallonee is the first round leader following a career-low 5-under 67 that included an opening nine 31.
* Sophomore Alexander Herrmann opened with a 3-under 69 that included an eagle to stand tied for second with 36 holes to play.
LOS CABOS, MEXICO – Junior Nathan Mallonee shot a career-low 5-under 67 to lead Georgia State to a 4-under 284 and the first round lead at the Cabo del Sol Intercollegiate as the Panthers traveled to Mexico for the first time in program history. The Panthers have a two-stroke team lead, while Mallonee also leads by two entering the second round.
Mallonee was on the verge of shooting one of the lowest rounds in program history after making five birdies and shooting 31 on the opening nine of the Ocean Course. He added two more birdies and a pair of bogeys on the back nine to tie for Georgia State's lowest round of the year.
Sophomore Alexander Herrmann, who was in contention at The Invitational to open the year, added a 3-under 69 to stand in a tie for second following 18 holes. Herrmann's round included an eagle on the par 5, 555-yard fourth hole.
“Really proud of the way the guys played today,” head coach Joe Inman said. “We didn't finish as strong as we might have liked, but the last few holes are difficult and at the end of the day, we are always glad to have a lead.
“Nathan and Alex played really well today. Those are two of the better rounds I have seen in a long time. If we are going to have the type of season we hope, those two will need to play the way they are capable of. They definitely did today.”
Senior J.J. Grey and freshman Nick Budd added a pair of 2-over 74s and stand tied for 21st with 36 holes to play.
The Panthers primary line-up was rounded out by Max Herrmann's 10-over 82, leaving him in 53rd-place.
Georgia State also brought a “B-Team” line-up to Mexico. Redshirt-freshman James Kyles led the second team with a 2-over 74 that included four birdies to stand tied for 21st.
Freshman Sam Asbury, making his collegiate debut, added a 4-over 76 and is 36th. Freshman Nathan Williams and sophomore Hayden Poole shot rounds of 9-over 81 and are tied for 47th. Redshirt-freshman Sean Murphy rounded out the line-up with a 13-over 85 and stands 56th.
The Panthers lead UC Irvine which stands second at 2-under par. A pair of Sun Belt foes stand third and fourth as Georgia Southern is 1-over. UT Arlington is tied with Cal State Northridge at 3-over.
Mallonee's two-stroke lead stands over a trio of golfers at 3-under, including Herrmann, Georgia Southern's Cody O'Toole and Santa Clara's Hayden Shieh. The group at 2-under and tied for fifth include UC Irvine teammates Johnny Hyun and Jacob Schulze, Seattle teammates Kyle Cornett and Joe Harvie, along with Santa Clara's Tyler Kertson.
Georgia State will play the Desert Course on Monday, before returning to the Ocean Course for the final round on Tuesday. Live scoring of the entire event can be found at GolfStat.com.
Following this week's tournament, Georgia State will return home for the fifth annual AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic at Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth, Ga., Oct. 11-13. Admission is free to the public.
