May 31, 2011
TEMPE- The Arizona State men's golf team is tied for 18th after the opening round of the NCAA Championships at the par-72 Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. The Sun Devils, playing as the 22nd seed, shot a 15-over par 303 and are knotted near the middle of the field with Duke and Southern California.
The top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play will advance to a three-day match play tournament for the NCAA title.
Coming off his second-place finish at the NCAA Colorado Regional, senior Scott Pinckney birdied the first hole of the tournament and added an eagle on the par-4 fourth hole, but shot above par on the back nine to end the day with a 1-over par 73 and tied for 34th. This is the third NCAA Championship for Pinckney.
Senior James Byrne, who participated in the 2008 and 2010 NCAA Championship, is tied for 47th at 2-over par 74. He collected three birdies, including consecutive ones on the fifth and sixth hole, but his birdie on the 11th hole was bookmarked by a pair of bogeys to bring his score back to even. A double bogey on the 17th hole brought his final score to 2-over.
Senior Jesper Kennegard, appearing in his fourth NCAA Championship, began the round with an eagle on the par-5 first hole and later added a pair of birdies. However, a number of bogeys and a tough 17th hole dropped the three-time All-American into a tie for 108th at 6-over par 78.
Junior Philip Francis is also in 108th at 6-over par 78. He bogeyed the first two holes of the event, but was able to steady himself and dropped in a trio of birdies.
Senior Oscar Zetterwall also collected three birdies, but they were equally matched by three double bogeys. He carded a 7-over par 79 and is tied for 121st in his first NCAA Championship appearance.
Georgia Tech sits atop the leaderboard after the first round with a 5-under par 283, followed by UCLA at 2-under par 286 and Alabama at even par 288. Texas A&M and Illinois round out the top five with a 1-over par 289 and a 3-over par 291, respectively.
James White of Georgia Tech shot a 5-under par 67 and leads all competitors, while Cameron Peck of Texas A&M is in second at 4-under par 68 and Augusta State's Patrick Reed is third with a 3-under par 69.
Live scoring of the second round, teeing off at 7 a.m. (PT), will be available on ncaa.com. ASU is paired with Ohio State and Tennessee and will begin its round at 1:10 a.m. (PT).