After the first round of action in the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship, the men’s golf team is in ninth place with a combined score of 6-over-par.
Junior Nathan Smith finds himself in a tie for the top spot with a 2-under 70 at the Championship Course at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla.
“I felt really comfortable out there today,” Smith said. “I am familiar with this course having played in two collegiate tournaments here, as well as my U.S. Open Qualifying round here last year.”
Smith scored birdies on holes eight and nine, putting him 2-under through the front nine. But on the 10th hole, the junior ran into some trouble. He hit driver off the tee when he said should have hit a three-wood, and then his second shot sailed over the pin.
“After flying the green, I was blocked out and had no shot,” Smith said. “I wound up having to take the double, but I was able to offset it with two straight birdies on 11 and 12.”
Smith finished out the round with six straight pars, leaving him 2-under for the day.
Junior Ryan Blaum had a fairly stable round with two birdies and three bogeys, leaving him at 1-over. Sophomore Jake Grodzinsky shot a 4-over 76, starting out with a pair of birdies but hitting a tough time on the back side. He had bogeys on 10, 11, 13 and 16, a double bogey on 17, but ended with a birdie on the final hole.
Alex Wilson struggled the most out of all of the Blue Devils, shooting a 7-over round of 79. He had a pair of triple bogeys on the back nine and a double bogey on the 18th hole.
“Alex had a real strong front nine,” Smith said. “I saw that he was a couple under on the front and that really fired up the rest of the team. But the winds kicked up and made it difficult for everyone on the back.”
The second of the three rounds is scheduled to begin Monday at 8 a.m. with a Blue Devil in each of the first five groupings.
“We are definitely expecting good things in the next two rounds,” Smith said. “The longer this thing goes, the better teams will rise to the top, and I believe we are the best team here.”
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