STATESBORO – Freshman Brantley Baker led four Eagles under par with a 67, and the Georgia Southern men's golf team leads the 42nd playing of the Schenkel Invitational after the first round Friday at Forest Heights Country Club.

Mason Williams carded a 68, while Ben Carr and Hogan Ingram each shot 69 as the Eagles posted a 273 team score (-15). Georgia Southern leads Notre Dame, West Virginia and Cincinnati, who are all tied for second at 5-under. 

Baker is tied for second, a shot behind Kieron van Wyk, who fired a 66 today. Williams is tied for fourth, while Carr and Ingram are tied for eighth. The field features four teams ranked nationally in the top-50 and seven individuals ranked in the top-100, according to Golfstat.

Baker birdied six of seven holes as he made the turn, and Williams' round was sparked by an eagle on the par-5 ninth to give the senior a 33 on the front nine. Carr played a bogey-free round with birdies at holes 4, 7 and 8, and Ingram played his final 15 holes 4-under with four birdies.

Scoring
Team – 273 (-15), 1
Brantley Baker – 67 (-5), T2
Mason Williams – 68 (-4), T4
Ben Carr – 69 (-3), T8
Hogan Ingram – 69 (-3), T8
Luke Dasher* - 72 (E), T28
Ian Glanton*- 73 (+1), T41
Jack Boltja* - 74 (+2), T53
Colin Bowles*- 74 (+2), T53
Wilson Andress – 76 (+4), T66
Lindsey Cordell* - 81 (+9), T85
*Playing as an individual

Quotables from Coach Carter Collins
"The first round of the Schenkel always has some extra nerves attached to it, and I thought the guys did a good job of embracing the atmosphere and competing hard. Our job is to reset and compete hard tomorrow; there is lots of golf left in this event."

"We are grateful for the Statesboro and Forest Heights community for showing up the way they did today. Great energy at The Schenkel. Hope to see everyone this weekend!"

Next Up
The second round is set for tomorrow, and Georgia Southern is paired with Notre Dame and West Virginia and scheduled to tee off the first hole at 10:30 a.m.