Blondell Leads Eagles to Third Place Tie after First Round of John Hayt Invitational
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. ? Sophomore Logan Blondell shot an even par 72 in the opening round of the John Hayt Invitational to lead the Georgia Southern golf team to a tie for third place Sunday (Feb. 22) at the Sawgrass Oceanside Course. Georgia Southern finished the first day of competition with a 10-over par 298 alongside UAB. The Eagles are just two strokes behind LSU (296) who stands in second and eight behind first round leader Arizona State (290). Blondell’s first round score places him in a five-way tie for fourth place.
“We played well today with a total team effort,” said head coach Larry Mays. “The team handled the wind and the tough golf course today.”
Making their first appearance in the tournament, the Eagles battled through the gusty winds to claim a first round score of 298 (+10). Blondell leads the Eagles after the first round, tying for fourth. The Eagle opened on the front nine going 3-over-par with two birdies for a 39. Blondell then excelled on the back nine with two birdies and one bogey leading him in to the 18th hole two-over par. Blondell then shot an eagle on the 510 yard 18 to propel him to a 3-under-par back nine for an even-par 72 first round score. Blondell was one of only seven players to shoot an even-par or better in the opening round of the tournament.
Drew Lethem and Ryan LeFevre each shot a 75, tying them for 24th as Joe Monte and Spencer Fulford completed the Eagles’ lineup each shooting a 76, placing them in a 10-way tie for 32nd. Freshman Sean Brannan made the trip with Georgia Southern competing on an individual basis. He carded a 91 through the first round, putting him in 84th place.
Lethem finished round one with a 75 (+3) after opening the day with a 37 (+1) front nine with two birdies and three bogeys before rounding out the day on the back nine with a 38 (+2). Lethem was 4-over par heading into the last hole before he birdied to card a final 3-over par. LeFevre shot the opposite, carding a 2-over-par in the opening nine and a 1-over-par in the final stretch to tie Lethem with a 75 (+3) first round score. LeFevre shot an even-par course except on holes four and 16 where he shot a double bogey and bogey, respectively.
Monte and Fulford’s day ended on similar notes with a final score of 76 (+4). Monte led all Eagles after the front nine as he shot an even-par 36 before he dropped a 4-over-par 40 on the back nine to finish the day with a 76. Fulford carded his 76 off even 2-over-pars on the front and back nine, respectively.
“Logan had a great back nine and the rest of the guys really hung in there,” Mays said. “We have to go out and do it two more times.”
Georgia Southern is paired with Arizona State and LSU in Monday’s second round and will begin play at 9:30 a.m. on the front nine.
JOHN HAYT INVITATIONAL ? FIRST ROUND SCORES
TEAM SCORES (Par 288)
1.Arizona State University 290 (+2)
2. LSU 296 (+8)
T3. GEORGIA SOUTHERN 298 (+10)
T3. UAB 298 (+10)
T5. Tennessee 299 (+11)
T5. Georgia State Univ. 299 (+11)
7. Coastal Carolina 301 (+13)
8. TCU 302 (+14)
9. Chattanooga 303 (+15)
10. Tulsa 304 (+16)
T11. UNC Wilmington 305 (+17)
T11. North Florida 305 (+17)
13. Alabama 307 (+19)
14. Furman 310 (+22)
15. Duke 314 (+26)
GEORGIA SOUTHERN INDIVIDUAL SCORES
T4.Logan Blondell 72 (E)
T24. Drew Lethem 75 (+3)
T24. Ryan LeFevre 75 (+3)
T32. Joe Monte 76 (+4)
T32. Spencer Fulford 76 (+4)
Mocs in Ninth Place After First Round at John Hayt Collegiate
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.---The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s golf team is in ninth place after an opening round 303 (+15) at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the famed Sawgrass Country Club Sunday afternoon. The Mocs are 13 shots behind No. 10 Arizona State in first place at 290 (+2).
Chattanooga started its day on the 10th hole and made the turn at four-over par as a team. The front side was not as kind as the team combined to shoot 11-over par for that nine and saw a few teams move past them on the leaderboard.
Junior Derek Rende’s 74 (+2) leads the way for UTC. He has recorded the low score in all four spring rounds for the Mocs.
Ben Rickett and Fredrik Qvicker each shot four-over par 76s, while Jonathan Hodge carded a 77 (+5) to round out the team scoring. Stephan Jaeger shot 78 (+6).
Scoring was an issue throughout the day for the Mocs. UTC golfers made just seven birdies on the day led by Rende, Rickett and Qvicker with two apiece.
“We need to score,” said Head Coach Mark Guhne. “We are an aggressive team. To play that style, you have to make birdies. Right now, that is an issue for us. I don’t expect that to continue.
“The weather got tough for the groups that started later like we did,” added Guhne. “When the wind blows out here like it did today (20-30 MPH), this course is a beast.”
Playing as an individual, J.T. Clendenin matched Rende’s 74. He only had one birdie but was a par machine with 14 on the day against just three bogeys.
“I really like what J.T. did today,” added Guhne. “I’ve said all year we have a deep team. He proved last Spring he can play at a high level.”
ASU leads second place LSO by six shots at 296. Georgia Southern and UAB are tied for third at 298. The Mocs lead No. 4 Alabama by four shots and No. 25 Duke by 11.
The Sun Devils also have the top individual as James Byrne shot a four-under par 68 leading Zack Byrd (Coastal Carolina) and John Peterson (LSU) by three shots. Rende and Clendenin are tied for 12th, six shots behind Byrne.
Chattanooga tees off No. 1 Monday morning playing with Coastal Carolina and TCU. Stephan Jaeger will lead the Mocs with an 8 a.m. tee time. Clendenin will start on No. 10 at 9:57 a.m. Monday’s round is the second of three in the event.
Paladin Golf Opens Spring Season In 14th At John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. -- Daniel Bowden’s four-over-par 76 paced the Furman men’s golf team into 14th place in the opening round of the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational on Sunday afternoon at the par-72 Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Bowden, a junior from Easley, S.C., shot a 38 on both the front and back nine with a birdie on each side to earn a share of 32nd place after 18 holes. Garland Ferrell played the back nine at even-par to share 42nd place with an opening round 77 and senior Jonathan Bowden began the spring schedule with a six-over 78.
Eighth-ranked Arizona State shot a first round 290 to grab a six-stroke lead over second place LSU through 18 holes of the 54-hole event. Georgia Southern and UAB are tied for third while Georgia State and Tennessee each took a a share of fifth on Sunday. Furman opened with a 22-over 310 in round one.
James Byrne fired a four-under 68 to hold a three-stroke lead over Zach Byrd of Coastal Carolina and John Peterson of LSU.
Second round action is slated for Monday morning with the Paladins set to tee-off from the back nine beginning at 8:09 a.m.
14 Furman 310
T32 Daniel Bowden 76
T42 Garland Ferrell 77
T52 Jonathan Bowden 78
T64 Anthony Aloi 79
T64 Matt Broome 79