Upstate 8th at ODU/Seascape Invitational
10/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 29, 2007
KITTY HAWK, N.C. - The USC Upstate men's golf team dusted off the clubs after a two-week break and turned in a 298 in the first round of the 36-hole ODU/Seascape Invitational Monday afternoon. Upstate is tied for eighth in the team standings with George Washington.
"This is the strongest and deepest field we have played in this season," said head coach Todd Lawton. "I was proud of the guys for finishing their rounds they way they did. Michael (Lawrence) was 2-under in his last five holes and Jeffery Horton went out in 42 and came home in 37 to give us our fourth score to help us stay in the hunt. We can still move up and the guys are already talking about what they need to do to get there."
The teams had to battle cold and windy conditions for most of the day, pitting the teams who hit the course early with disadvantages over the teams that went out late. Upstate was in the middle wave and finds itself in the top half of the standings and at the top of the teams who started in the middle wave of start times. The top seven teams in the tournament all started later in the day.
"The groups that teed off earliest had the toughest conditions," said Lawton. "We were in the middle wave. The teams that are ahead of us were able to play in better conditions and scored better. But, we are not making any excuses. We need to perform and didn't, especially on the first few holes. When you start off missing fairways and making bogeys, it's hard to score."
Upstate started on the back nine of the 6,131-yard, par-70 Seascape Resort course and was 12-over-par as a team through the first three holes. However, the Spartans regrouped to play the final 15 holes at 6-over to post the 298 score.
Wofford leads the tournament after turning in a 283. The Terriers lead Hartford by one stroke. Richmond is third with a 288 total and is followed by Elon (291), Campbell (292), Old Dominion (292), Winthrop (293), Upstate (298), George Washington (298), Liberty (300), Binghamton (300), Princeton (301), Radford (302), St. Bonaventure (303), Davidson (304), Drexel (308), St. Joseph's (308), James Madison (309), George Mason (310), Samford (314) and Delaware (320) in the 21-team field.
Individually, Josh Gallman led Upstate with a 1-over 71 and is tied for 11th. Baxter Culler and Michael Lawrence each shot a 74 and are tied for 33rd. Culler went out in 38 and shaved two strokes off of his score on the second nine for a 36. Lawrence went four strokes better from the first nine to the second nine, coming in with a 35. Horton shaved five strokes off of his first nine score, finishing with a 37 on the second nine to shoot 79. He is in a tie for 74th. Jamie Lightsey turned in an 83 for the Spartans.
Wofford's Neil O'Brien, Richmond's Jordan Utley and Elon's Jimmy Lytle lead the tournament after each carded a 3-under 67.
The tournament wraps up with the final round Tuesday morning.
First Round Results in PDF Format
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