GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Brett Barron and Mason Williams each shot a 67 to lead the Georgia Southern men's golf team into a tie for seventh at the Gator Invitational, presented by VyStar, Friday at Mark Bostick Golf Course.

The event was originally scheduled for 54 holes, 18 each day, but organizers are expecting inclement weather on Sunday and are trying to finish the tournament tomorrow. Teams were able to complete the first round today, and most squads have about six holes remaining in the second round. They will finish the second round beginning at 8 a.m. tomorrow and start the third and final round after the second finishes.

Jake Maples and Ben Carr each completed the first round with a 71, and Colin Bowles posted a 75.

The Eagles started the day on the 10th hole, and Barron birdied 12, 14 and 16 on his way to making the turn at 2-under. The senior made birdie at holes 1 and 3 and parred his last six holes of the round. 

After a bogey on 10, Williams birdied three straight to make the turn at 3-under. The junior was 2-under on his last five holes with birdies at 7 and 8.

The loaded field features 11 programs ranked in the top-25, according to Golfstat, including the Eagles, who came into the event ranked 11th. That list includes Vanderbilt (1), Georgia (3) and Tennessee (4), which are ranked in the top-5. The host Gators are 15th.

Georgia (-11) led the tournament after the first round, and LSU (-10) was second. The Eagles (-4) were tied with Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina and Liberty.

Scores
Team – 276 (-4), T7
Brett Barron – 67 (-3), T10
Mason Williams – 67 (-3), T10
Jake Maples – 71 (+1), T68
Ben Carr – 71 (+1), T68
Colin Bowles – 75 (+5), T108

Quotables from Georgia Southern Coach Carter Collins
"It was an awesome day with the boys. We are thankful to be on the road in a tournament competing for Georgia Southern. I think we had an anxious start but settled in nicely for the rest of the day. A lot of grit was shown today. We are excited to be mixing it up with some bigger conferences, but all we are focused on is getting the most out of our games. We feel like it when we do that, we can compete with anyone. We are looking forward to tomorrow, another great opportunity. Hail Southern!"

Next Up
The Eagles will attempt to finish the second round tomorrow morning and play the third round in the afternoon to finish the tournament.