What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State shot a 14-under 274, tied for the third-lowest round in school history and second-lowest in relation to par to open the Schenkel Invitational on Friday.
* Sophomore Alexander Herrmann shot the Panthers lowest round of the year, a 6-under 66, while twin-brother Max fired a 4-under 68.
* Ironically the Panthers lowest round in relation to par game two years ago, also in Statesboro, shooting a second-round 15-under 273.
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia State shot a 14-under 274, tied for the third-lowest round in school history and second-lowest in relation to par to stand in a tie for second place following the first round of the Schenkel Invitational hosted by in-state rival Georgia Southern on Friday.
The Panthers were led by sophomore Alexander Herrmann who shot the lowest round of year for GSU, a 6-under 66, that included seven birdies. He stands tied for second at Forest Heights County Club. Herrmann's round is tied for the sixth-lowest first round score in school history.
Twin brother Max Herrmann added a 4-under 68 making five birdies to sit tied for eighth, while senior JJ Grey added a 3-under 69 with four birdies to sit tied for 21st.
Georgia State entered the tournament ranked No. 73 in the country. The 14-team field includes eight teams ranked in the top 50 as the Panthers stand four strokes back of No. 10 Wake Forest which opened the event with an 18-under 280, while tied with No. 15 Vanderbilt.
Two years ago in Statesboro, the Panthers shot a second round 15-under 273, the lowest score in relation to par in program history and second-only to a 269 at the 2004 Mason Rudolph Championship.
“Really proud of the way the guys played today,” head coach Joe Inman said. “There were a lot of things we did well, but one of my favorite is that we had no big numbers. When you don't make big numbers and make a lot of birdies, it is going to lead to a great score and we were able to do that today.”
Freshman Nick Budd sits tied for 36th following an opening round 1-under 71 that included four birdies. Junior Nathan Mallonee rounded out the line-up with a 3-over 75.
Freshman Nathan Williams, competing as an individual, opened play with a 6-over 78 to stand tied for 79th.
No. 19 North Carolina and Iowa sit tied for fourth at 9-under par. The Panthers also lead ranked schools No. 49 College of Charleston, No. 19 North Carolina, No. 33 North Florida, No. 32 Kentucky, No. 40 NC State, No. 42 UAB and No. 4 Auburn.
Wake Forest's Davis Womble leads following an 8-under 64 that included six birdies and an eagle. Alexander Herrmann is tied for second at 6-under with Iowa's Nate Yankovich, College of Charleston's Parker Derby and Auburn's Ben Scholttman. A total of nine golfers in the field are ranked among the top 100 in GolfStat.
The prestigious event has been won by the likes of Bubba Watson, Scott Verplank, Bob Tway, Hal Sutton, Andy Bean and Curtis Strange. Six U.S. Opens, four PGA Championships, two British Opens and two Masters titles are among the major wins by individuals who have posted a top-10 finish at the Schenkel Invitational during their collegiate careers.
Live scoring can be found throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com. Georgia State will be paired with Wake Forest and Vanderbilt in the second round beginning off Hole No. 1 at 10:30 a.m.
Following the event, Georgia State will return to the course March 25-27, at the Furman Intercollegiate hosted by Furman in Greenville, S.C.
