GREENSBORO, Ga. – ETSU found itself at the top of the leaderboard with a 5-stroke lead at the 2022 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship following Friday’s first round of play at Reynolds Lake Oconee’s par-72, 7,393-yard The Oconee Course. Sophomore Ben Carberry leads the field at 5-under-par 67 to pace four Bucs in the top 10.
 
ETSU, ranked 30^th in the latest Golfstat rankings, holds a five-stroke lead over second-place UNCG, concluding the first round with a team score of 13-under 275. The Spartans finished the first day with an 8-under 280 performance, with three UNCG golfers earning a spot in the top-10.
 
Western Carolina sits third at 3-under 285, while Furman is fourth, two strokes behind the Catamounts at 1-under 287. Mercer shot an even-par 288 to close the first round in fifth, followed by Chattanooga (291) in sixth, Wofford (295) in seventh and Samford (302) in eighth.
 
Carberry, who posted the low round of the day to sit atop the leaderboard, is joined by teammates Remi Chartier, Algot Kleen and Mats Ege in the top 10. Chartier shot a 4-under 68 to tie for second with Western Carolina’s Jake Peacock, while Ege and Kleen tied for seventh following opening round scores of 2-under 70.
 
The Spartans had three players finish with under-par rounds highlighted by Tommy Lamb and Symon Balbin, who each shot 3-under 69 to tie for fourth, and Noah Connor, who posted a 2-under 70 performance to tie for seventh with ETSU’s Ege and Kleen and Western Carolina’s Tumi Kuld. Lamb led the Spartans in par-5 scoring at 4-under.
 
Western Carolina has a pair in the top 10, with Peacock (4-under 68) in a tie for second and Kuld in a tie for seventh (2-under 70). Peacock entered the tournament ranked 10^th in the league with a 72.26 average, while Kuld boasted a 75.11 average to rank 41^st. Kuld led the field in par-4 scoring (-3) in the first round, while Peacock finished second in par-5 (-3).
 
Mercer concluded round one with three golfers in the top 20, with Ethan Werblo and Jonathan Parker tied for 11^th at 1-under 71 and Tobias Jonsson tied for 18^th at even-par 72. Jonsson entered the tournament leading the league in stroke average at 69.96.

The Paladins also saw three golfers finish the day in the top 20, with junior Sam Lape, junior Walker Crosby, and freshman Will Morlan each firing an opening-round 71 to end round one tied for 11^th.

Chattanooga rounds out the individual top 10 with sophomore Paul Conroy, who led the Mocs with a 3-under 69. He recorded five birdies, capturing one of the tournament highs for the first round. He concluded round one tied for fourth overall.
 
The Bucs are seeking their 22nd team title after taking home the hardware last season. Should Carberry hold on to the lead, he’d be the Bucs’ 17^th individual medalist and third straight, as alum Shiso Go won in a sudden-death playoff in 2019 and redshirt sophomore Archie Davies clinched the title in 2021. The 2020 tournament was not contested due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Saturday’s second round tees off at 8:05 a.m. Live stats can be found here.
 
2022 Southern Conference Men’s Golf Championship
The Oconee Course at Reynolds Lake Oconee
Par 72, 7,393 yards
Greensboro, Ga.
 
Team results
Place Team                  Rd1         Total
1. ETSU                       275       275 (-13)
2. UNCG                      280       280 (-8)
3. Western Carolina       285       285 (-3)
4. Furman                     287       287 (-1)
5. Mercer                      288       288 (E)
6. Chattanooga             291       291 (+3)
7. Wofford                    295       295 (+7)
8. Samford                    302       302 (+14)
 
Individual leaders
Place Team                                                  Rd1     Total (to par)
1. Ben Carberry, ETSU                                67             67 (-5)
T2. Jake Peacock, Western Carolina            68             68 (-4)
T2. Remi Chartier, ETSU                             68             68 (-4)
T4. Paul Conroy, Chattanooga                     69             69 (-3)
T4. Tommy Lamb, UNCG                            69             69 (-3)
T4. Symon Balbin, UNCG                            69             69 (-3)
T7. Tumi Kuld, Western Carolina                  70             70 (-2)
T7. Algot Kleen, ETSU                                70             70 (-2)
T7. Noah Connor, UNCG                             70             70 (-2)
T7. Mats Ege, ETSU                                   70             70 (-2)