What You Need to Know:
- Georgia State shot an opening round 8-over 296 to stand in a tie for 10th following the first day of the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner at Grand National Golf Club.
- Senior Egill Gunnarrson tied a first-round career low with a 3-under par 69 and is tied for third with 36 holes to play.
- Georgia State has recorded top five finishes in the event in four of the last five years.
OPELIKA, Ala. – Led by a first-round tying career-low 3-under par 69 by senior Egill Gunnarsson, the Georgia State men's golf team shot a first day 8-over 296 to stand in a tie for 10th place at the Tiger Invitational presented by Jason Dufner at Grand National Golf Club.
After going out in 2-over par, Gunnarsson birdied six of his first seven holes on the second nine (front nine) and stands in a tie for third place with 36 holes to play.
The Panthers are at 8-over par and tied with No. 43 Charlotte and Florida Atlantic. Georgia State is three strokes ahead of No. 41 James Madison and just four strokes behind No. 45 Arkansas State.
"I walked all 18 holes with Egill today and that is the best performance I have seen from him," head coach Chad Wilson said. "I'm so happy for him as he has worked very hard.
"As a team we got off to a bit of a rough start but then really started to get things going. Unfortunately, we made a couple mistakes on our last hole that cost us a few spots in the standings. I feel like we will come out and play well on Monday."
Senior Josh Edgar made four birdies on his way to a 2-over 74 to stand in a tie for 36th after 18 holes. Fellow senior Ashton Poole added a 4-over 76 and is tied for 54th, while sophomore David Li shot a 77 and is tied for 65th at 5-over par. Senior Severin Soller rounded out the line-up with a 6-over 78 and is tied for 72nd.
No. 15 Auburn leads the 20-team field at 9-under par following an opening round 279. ULM is in second place at 8-under par, while Auburn's B-Team is in third place at 4-under par. Louisiana Tech stands in fourth place at 1-under par, while Kentucky and Western Kentucky are tied for fifth at 3-over par.
North Alabama's Jackson Wedgeworth and Auburn's C.J. Easley are tied for first place after 18 holes at 4-under par. A group of nine golfers including Gunnarsson are tied for third place at 3-under par.
Live scoring of the entire tournament will be available at Golfstat.com. Georgia State will be paired with Charlotte and Chattanooga for Round 2 beginning at 9 a.m. ET off the 10th hole.
Following this week's event, Georgia State will return to the course for the Schenkel Invitational hosted by in-state rival Georgia Southern at Forest Heights Golf Club March 13-15.
