ORLANDO, Fla. - Playing in the final event on their fall schedule, the McDonough Cup at the Rio Pinar Country Club in Orlando, Fla., the Carson-Newman men's golf team finished day one in a tie for tenth after shooting a +26 602 that places them 26 strokes off the lead.
"Not a great day for the Eagles," coach Randy Wylie said. "Our best players can play better and we need to player better at the four and five spot. I'm looking forward to a strong finish tomorrow."
Coach Wylie's group was led by senior Dalton Reese (Warrenton, Ga.), who tied for the team's best score over the first 18 holes with a plus-two 74 and followed that up with his team's best round of day one, carding an even par 72 to end the day tied for 15th. Reese continued his streak of not having shot more than two-over in any round this fall.
Four strokes behind Reese were Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.) and Tom Forster (Oundle, England). Headrick posted a 75 in both the morning and afternoon, while Forster followed up a morning 74 with a 76 in round two and both players are tied for 28th at plus-six.
The team's fourth score came from first-year Eagle Fintan McKenna (Westhill, U.K.), who is at +12. McKenna was tied for 46th after his first 18 holes, but dropped two strokes from a 77 to a 79 and entered the clubhouse tied for 67th at day's end. The final player on C-N's roster for the tournament is Alex Hutson and he sits in 92nd.
The event's host school, No. 13 Rollins College, holds the top spot, as they are at even par after shooting a 576. Tied for second are No. 24 Flagler and Georgia College, nine strokes back, followed by No. 17 Newberry at +10 and No. 14 Lander at +15. Topping the player leaderboard is Rollins's Jakob Van de Flierdt, who's five-under.
The McDonough Cup has one round remaining and a full rundown of the final 18 holes will be available on cneagles.com tomorrow.
-CN-
