Oref Ties Upstate's Single Round Record To Lead Strong Spartan Effort
9/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sunset Beach, N.C. – McKenzie Oref has waited for his opportunity to get back on the course for USC Upstate and on Friday showed exactly what kind of talent he has as the sophomore from Easley, S.C., shot a 66 in the first round of the Sea Trail Intercollegiate, tying the school's single-round record along the way.
Although Oref tied Josh Gallman for the lowest numerical score, he actually broke the all-time record of the lowest score under par. Gallman carded a 5-under-par 66 last year in winning the Rutgers Invitational. Oref, though finished at 6-under on Friday to break the strokes under par record at Upstate.
"It was kind of wild," said Oref. "I really wasn't hitting the ball all that well. I concentrated on getting the ball in the air and hitting greens. I made a few long putts, putts from 30 feet or longer. But, I also missed a couple of putts inside 10 feet, so I could have gone lower. It's exciting. I now know that I can do it. It would be good to do it a few more times."
Oref methodically went low on the day. He stood at 3-under through his first 14 holes, then made birdie on three of the final four holes to shoot 66.
"McKenzie really played well," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "I don't think anyone would have expected him to come out and shoot 66 in his first tournament. It was like he got 1-under, played a few holes and got to 2-under, then played a couple more holes and got to 3-under. He was there all day."
Oref's effort highlighted a strong day for Upstate. The Spartans shot a 4-under 288 as a team and is in third place heading into Saturday's second round. The tournament is a 54-hole event with the final round to be played on Sunday. Elon opened the tournament with a 275 to take the lead, while Samford is second at 281.
"Today, we saw the scores that we have seen in qualifying and in practice," said Lawton. "We put things together and had a good round. Our hats have to go off to Elon. That was a heck of a score. This is where we need to be and where we should be. Everyone on the team needs to focus on hitting their shots and not force it. We need to play it smart."
While Oref was the man of the day for Upstate, the entire team played well. Lawton tossed out a 74. Tyler Comer (Pacolet Mills, S.C.) shot an even-par 72 and is tied for 16th, while Brad Sill (Saprtanburg) and Will Graves (Rock Hill, S.C.) each shot 73. Matthew Hopper (Gaffney, S.C.) carded a solid 74 on the day.
Elon's Tanner Norton fired an 8-under 64 to take the individual lead by two strokes over Oref.
