MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – Three Eagles have muscled their way into the top 10 and have also helped the Carson-Newman men's golf team grab first place after round one of the University of North Alabama Spring Preview at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at the Shoals Fighting Joe Course on Monday.
The Eagles are four under par with a total score of 284, tying the 10th best score by a South Atlantic Conference team this season. They hold a three stroke lead over the host college, No. 9 North Alabama and they're up by six on No. 24 Limestone. Rounding out the top five is eighth-ranked Missouri-St. Louis and 13th ranked Lee University.
Coach Randy Wylie's Eagles were led by Tom Forster (Oundle, England), who is coming off a second-place finish at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate. Forster's first round 69 puts him three-under and tied for the lead with four other players who are up by a single shot. He'll be looking to secure his first collegiate win on Tuesday.
One of three student-athletes in second with a two-under 70 is Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.). The sophomore has been in red numbers in each of his last for rounds and he is attempting to capture a second consecutive victory following his triumph last week.
"It was a difficult day, but a good day," said coach Randy Wylie. "I was really pleased with the team overall. They gave a tough minded effort. Tom and Jake played excellent. Today was just a continuation of last week. They're good players, they've got confidence and momentum and they're taking advantage of that."
The third member of coach Wylie's roster to earn a spot in the top 10 was Dalton Reese (Warrenton, Ga.). He carded a one-under 71, his third round under-par in his last four times on the golf course and that earned him a tie for ninth.
Brady Childers (Granite Fall, N.C.) provided Carson-Newman's fourth score, shooting a two-over 74 that puts him even for 23rd. C-N's Will Hurt (Powell, Tenn.) entered the clubhouse with an 83 and is in a tie for 87th.
The second round of the spring preview, which was supposed to be played on Monday, was suspended due to lighting and will be completed on Tuesday, along with the final round. A recap of Tuesday's action, as well as results, will be published on cneagles.com.
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