GREENWOOD, S.C. - Big first days by Jonathan Nielsen and Jackson Tyler have the Carson-Newman men's golf team in first place after day one of the Bearcat Golf Classic.
Nielsen sits in a tie for first place at five-under with Bryson Boyette of Barton College and Linus Jonsson of Lander. Tyler is right behind them in a tie for fourth place with Augusto Oliva of Clayton State at three-under after two rounds of play at the Greenwood Country Club.
As a team, the Eagles sit in first place by one stroke over Barton with a two-round one-over score of 577. C-N shot an even-par 288 in round one before closing out the final 18 holes of the day with a one-over 289.
"Good day for the Eagles on a tough windy and rainy day in Greenwood," says Director of Golf Randy Wylie. "Jonathan Nielsen continues his very fine play, along with a tremendous day from Jackson Tyler. We will need more of the same to bring home a victory tomorrow.
Nielsen's day started with a fantastic, five-under 67 in round one. Nielsen recorded eight birdies in the first round, including three on his last four holes of the opening round. He continued the strong play in the second round, shooting an even-par 72. Nielsen last shot a five-under 67 at the Cougar Classic in Columbus, Ga. earlier this season where he finished tied for sixth.
After shooting a one-over 73 in the first round, Tyler roared back with a four-under 68 in the second round to finish the day at three-under. The score is Tyler's second-lowest round of the season. He shot a five-under 67 in the first round of the Southern Tide Intercollegiate. Tyler moved up 20 spots between the first and second rounds to pull into the top-five.
Alex Hodge sits tied for 28th with a two-round four-over par score of 148. After shooting a solid one-over 73 in the first round, Hodge finished with a three-over 75 in the second round. He did record an eagle on the first hole par five, the only Carson-Newman player to record one on the opening day of the tournament.
Jake Mynatt rounds out the scoring for the Eagles on day one, recording a two round five-over par 149 to sit in a tie for 35th. After scoring a first round score of a three-over 75, Mynatt carded a two-over 74 in the second round despite a pair of double bogeys on the 16th and 17th holes. Mynatt did record six birdies, including four in the second round.
Will Collins sits tied for 103rd with a 17-over 161 two-round score. Collins struggled in the first round, carding six bogeys and a pair of double bogeys to finish with a 12-over 84. He would rebound in the second round, shooting a five-over 77 with two birdies on the front nine.
The Eagles will look to lock up the Bearcat Golf Classic championship tomorrow, Mar. 8 with 18 final holes at the Greenwood Country Club. The final day begins with a shotgun start at 9:00 AM.
