LENOIR CITY, Tenn. – No. 22/23 Carson-Newman made a 15-shot improvement from the first to second round but ended the first day of the Tennessee River Rumble in 11th at the WindRiver Golf Club.
The Eagles went 7-over on the day with rounds of 299 and 284 for a 583 total. They carded 31 birdies through the first two rounds and are tied with the fifth-best showing on par-3 holes at 4-over. Throughout the second round alone, they were even on such holes, tying for the top spot in the round.
Will Collins (Knoxville, Tenn.) leads the Orange and Blue after Monday with a share of 21st at an even 144. He posted a 74 in the morning round before firing a 2-under 70 in the nightcap, marking the second-lowest round score of his career. He fired seven total birdies in the first day, five of those in the second round.
The junior is tied for second on par-4 scoring, holding a 3-under average thus far.
One shot behind him in a tie for 28th is Alex Hodge (Knoxville, Tenn.) after a 1-over day. He was 1-over in the first trip around the course with a 73 but shaved a stroke off of that score in the second round with an even 72. He closed Monday with a 145.
Tied for 32nd with a 2-over 146 is Jake Mynatt (Knoxville, Tenn.). He was able to salvage two strokes from the morning to afternoon after posting a 74 in the first round. He was even in the second round where he carded three of his seven birdies through the first 36 holes.
Jackson Tyler (Wilmington, N.C.) had the largest improvement between Monday's rounds on the team that landed him in a tie for 44th at 4-over with a 148. The senior started his day with a 78 in a round that saw three birdies and an eagle on the par-4 15th get overshadowed by eight shots that went over par. He was eight shots lower in the second round, going into the red with a 2-under 70 on four birdies. That 70 marks the lowest single round of the season for Tyler.
The final member of the starting lineup on the leaderboard at the end of the first day was Jonathan Nielsen (Hørsholm, Denmark), holding a share of 81st at 12-over. His 156 came with a 79 in the morning round that led to a 77 in the afternoon.
Playing as an individual, Zach Young (Crossville, Tenn.) heads into the final round in a tie for 85th at 14-over. He started the day with a 76, his lowest single-round score of the year. By the end of the day, he tacked on six strokes in the second to push his total to a 158.
No. 14/12 Young Harris leads the field ahead of the final round with a 13-under 563. The next closest team is No. 25 Anderson in second at 7-under with Wingate third at 5-under.
Wingate's Charles Joubert sits atop the player leaderboard at 10-under with a 134, posting rounds of 65 and 69. He is trailed by North Greenville's Austin Duncan at 7-under and Young Harris' Peter Chung at 6-under.
The River Rumble comes to a close Tuesday with one final round of action from WindRiver. Live scoring will be available once again throughout the day via BirdieFire.
