What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State opened the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner in eighth place on Sunday following a first round 8-over 296.
* Sophomore Alexander Herrmann led the Panthers with a 1-under 71 and is tied for sixth place with two golfers ranked in the top 10 in the country.
* Georgia State finished third in the event last season as JJ Grey earned a second-place finish.
AUBURN, Ala. – Led by a 1-under 71 from sophomore Alexander Herrmann, Georgia State shot an opening round 8-over 296 to stand eighth following the first round of the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner on Sunday.
With cool and windy conditions to start the morning, four Panthers, including Herrmann, bogeyed the first hole, while the fifth men's golfer made double bogey. However, Georgia State settled down to make 12 birdies to stand just six shots out of second place entering the second round.
Herrmann finished with four birdies and stands tied for sixth, just three strokes off the lead and tied with a pair of golfers who rank among the top 10 in the nation.
“There is no doubt that we stumbled out of the gate,” head coach Joe Inman said. “But I love how composed this team stays. They did not let the first hole ruin the round. I believe we will come back tomorrow and put up a great score to be right back near the top of the leaderboard by the time the tournament is over.”
Last year, the Panthers stood eighth following the first round, only to shoot a second round 285 and then finish the tournament in third as JJ Grey finished second.
Ironically, Grey's score was the one that did not count today, shooting a 5-over 77 to stand tied for 57th. Despite making three birdies, the senior could not overcome a pair of double bogeys.
Junior Nathan Mallonee, sophomore Max Herrmann and freshman Nick Budd are all tied for 38th at 3-over par following first round 75's.
No. 5 Auburn leads the 18-team field at 3-under par with Troy in second at 2-over par. Kennesaw State and Minnesota are tied for third at 3-over, with No. 25 Kentucky and Mississippi State tied for fifth at 6-over par. The Panthers are ahead of the likes of Kansas State, Ohio State and Notre Dame entering the second round.
Auburn's Matt Gilchrest leads the field following a 4-under 68 on Sunday. Four golfers are tied for second at 2-under, including UNC Wilmington's Patrick Cover, Kennesaw State's Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero, Mississippi State's Ross Bell and UNC Greensboro's Jake McGlone.
Live scoring can be found throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com. Georgia State will be paired with VCU and Auburn's B-Team on Monday at 8:45 a.m. ET off hole No. 1.
Following the event, Georgia State will return to the course March 18-20, at the Schenkel Invitational hosted by Georgia Southern in Statesboro, Ga.
