Georgia Southern Golf Struggles in First Round of SoCon Championships
4/21/2013 9:48:51 PM | Men's Golf
First-round results (PDF) | Round 2 tee times | Live scoring
CHARLESTON, S.C. – A windy day at the Ralston Creek Course on Daniel Island took its toll on the Georgia Southern golf team as the Eagles shot a combined score of 315 (+27) in the first round of the 77th Southern Conference Championships Sunday.
Georgia Southern is tied for seventh with UNCG, one stroke behind Samford (+26) and six behind fourth-place College of Charleston (+21). Davidson (+9) leads the tournament, and Chattanooga (+10) is second, followed by Appalachian State (+17).
Wildcat Todd Eckstein was the only player in the field to shoot under par, finishing with a 71. UNCG's Taylor Coalson and Chattanooga's Steven Fox are tied for second at even par.
It was a windy day with steady breezes at 15-20 miles per hour and gusts 30-plus, in which par was a great score and a 75 would have been very good. Charlie Martin led the Eagles with a 77 and is tied for 13th. Hayden Anderson carded a 78 and is tied for 21st.
Will Evans collected a 79, while Scott Wolfes and Christian Humber each posted an 81. The Eagles really struggled on the back nine as their quintet combined to shoot 25-over. Their team score of 315 is their highest in a round this season.
"We were battling along through the first nine, and then things got away from us," said Georgia Southern coach Larry Mays. "The wind really kicked up on hole seven, stayed with us the rest of the day and we did not handle the adverse conditions well. We didn't putt well, which really hurt us. We'll regroup tonight and see if we can get back in this thing tomorrow."
Martin (right) had the best back nine for GSU, finishing in 39 strokes. The sophomore double bogeyed 10 but recovered to play the next five holes at even par. He bogeyed 16 and posted pars on 17 and 18 to finish 5-over for the day.
Anderson logged two bogeys and a birdie on the front to make the turn at +1 and parred the first three holes on the back nine. The junior hit a rough patch on 13, 14 and 15, playing those three at four over and bogeyed 18 to shoot six over. Evans played the front nine at 2-over but posted five bogeys on the back, including three straight on holes 15, 16 and 17.
Humber got his day off to a great start with birdies on holes 4 and 6. A triple bogey on hole 7 and a bogey on 8 left him at 2-over at the turn, but the junior made three double bogeys on the back and finished 9-over.
Wolfes never got any momentum going, and a three-putt on the par-5 third hole got his day off to a rough start. The sophomore finished the front nine 4-over, but bogeyed the first four holes on the back en route to an 81, his highest round as an Eagle.
The tournament continues tomorrow, and Georgia Southern will tee off at 8:50 a.m.
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