University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
Wendy''s Kiawah Classic
Cornfield Leads Spartans in First Round of Wendy's Kiawah Classic
10/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Kiawah Island, S.C. – Freshman Ryan Cornfield opened the Wendy's Kiawah Classic with an even-par 71 to lead the USC Upstate men's golf team in the first round of the 26-team, 54-hole tournament being played on the Turtle Point course at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort Sunday afternoon.
Cornfield (Dudley, England) birdied the 10th and 16th holes on Sunday to play the back nine in 2-under-par. He made a pair of bogeys on the front nine to shoot even par for the round. He is tied for eighth in the field of 134 players and was one of 17 players to shoot even or better on the day.
"There were some great opportunities for scoring today and Ryan took advantage of them," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "He has worked very hard this semester as a freshman. Even par plays well anywhere and his two-under back nine put him there. Adam (Goins) played a good round as well."
Upstate opened with a 302 and stands tied for 15th in the large field. The Spartans are tied with William & Mary and Utah Valley heading into the second round on Monday. Despite being tied for 15th, the Spartans are just three strokes out of the Top 10 and seven shots away from fifth place.
"We didn't place ourselves in the position on the leaderboard we hoped for due to missed tee shots on a few holes," said Lawton. "The great news is that we are only a few shots out of the top five with two rounds to play."
South Carolina opened the tournament with a 282 to take the lead after 18 holes. Winthrop shot 289 and stands second. The Eagles are followed by College of Charleston (290), Radford (292), Western Kentucky (295), Wisconsin (296), Marquette (297), Campbell (298), Presbyterian (299), UConn (299), Charleston Southern (300), High Point (300), Boise State (300), Stetson (300), Upstate (302), Utah Valley (302), William & Mary (302), Bradley (303), Jacksonville State (305), Towson (305), Loyola (Md.) (306), St. John's (308), George Washington (311), Mount St. Mary's (315) and Butler (317).
Adam Goins (Gaffney, S.C.) made birdie on the first and third holes en route to an opening round 74 to finish the day as the second-best Spartan. He stands tied for 40th. Matthew Hopper (Gaffney, S.C.) shot a 77, finishing the round with three birdies. Brain Horton (Boiling Springs, S.C.) shot an 80 despite recording three birdies on the day. Brad Sill (Spartanburg, S.C.) rounded out the day with an 86.
South Carolina's Caleb Sturgeon and Utah Valley's Mason Casper opened with 68 to share the lead after the first round.
The teams will play the second round on Monday before finishing the tournament with the final round on Tuesday.
