PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Senior Wehman Hopke (+5) tied for 33rd place to lead the Furman men’s golf team Friday as the Paladins opened the 2016 season at the The Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the par-72, 6,976-yard Sawgrass Country Club. The Paladins are 12th as a team.
Hopke, who hails from Austin, Texas, finished the round with a 5-over 77 to lead Furman, while junior Bryce Howell (+6) scored an opening-round 78 to tie for 46th. Senior Preston Cole (+7), who notched back-to-back birdies on No. 7 and No. 8, and freshman Connor Bruns (+7), who birdied the par-3 No. 12, tied for 54th, and rookie Garrison Hogan (+9) recorded three birdies on the back to tie for 72nd.
Phillip Knowles (-2) of North Florida leads the field after firing a 70 in Friday’s round. No. 37 North Florida (+5) holds a six-stroke lead over Jacksonville (+11), while No. 13 Oklahoma State (+12) sits in third. Louisville (+13), ranked 47th nationally, is fourth, and North Texas (+14) is fifth after one round of play.
Second round action will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday.