What You Need to Know:
* The Georgia State men's golf team opened The Invitational at The Ocean Course on Monday shooting a school-record 18-under 270.
* Junior Alex Herrmann shot rounds of 66 and 68 during the first day to sit in a tie for first place at 10-under par with 18 holes to play.
* Georgia State sits in second-place at the season opening event, just three strokes off the lead entering the final round.
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – The Georgia State men's golf team opened the 2016-17 season in record fashion, shooting a first round 18-under 270 at The Invitational at The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island on Monday.
The Panthers sit in second place at 17-under following a second-round 289, standing three strokes back of Middle Tennessee. The opening round 18-under par total set a new school record for relation to par, eclipsing the previous mark by three strokes.
Junior Alex Herrmann shot rounds of 66 and 68 to stand tied for first at 10-under with 18 holes to play to play on Tuesday. Herrmann is looking for his first career win after finishing tied for 11th in the same event last year.
“We got off to an incredible start this morning,” head coach Joe Inman said. “I don't know that I have ever been a part of something like that. However, just as I said last week, the guys came back from the summer off hungry and in mid-season form. Hopefully this is just the start of something great this season.”
Herrmann's first round included nine birdies, while his second included three birdies and an eagle on the par 5, 562-yard 11th hole.
Not to be outdone, sophomore Nick Budd stands in third place at 6-under par following rounds of 66 and 72. His opening round included seven birdies.
Senior Nathan Mallonee is tied for 30th at 1-under par following rounds of 68 and 73. His 4-under round included six birdies.
Junior Max Herrmann, the defending Sun Belt champion, is tied for 36th at even par after rounds of 70 and 74.
Freshman Egill Gunnarsson, making his collegiate debut, his tied for 58th at 4-over par following rounds of 72 and 76.
Sophomore Nathan Williams, competing as an individual, is tied for 55th at 3-over par. After an opening round 75, he shot 72 in the afternoon.
Middle Tennessee leads the 16-team field at 20-under par following an afternoon 275. Georgia State is second at 17-under, followed by Ole Miss and Augusta in a tie for third at 15-under. Host College of Charleston rounds out the top five at 12-under par.
Alex Herrmann is tied with Augusta's Jake Marriott at 10-under par, four strokes ahead of the rest of the field. Budd sits third at 6-under, followed by West Virginia's Alan Cooke and Coastal Carolina's Alfredo Ruiz in a tie for fourth at 5-under.
The Panthers will play the final round on Tuesday with a shotgun start beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET. The Panthers will be paired with Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss and Augusta.
Live scoring can be found throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com.
Following this week's tournament, the Panthers will travel to Arizona Sept. 23-25, for the Maui Jim Invitational at Mirabel Golf Club. Georgia State will serve as the host for the three-day event that includes several top 25 teams.
