Braselton, Ga. ? All five members of the Stetson men's golf contingent at the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships shot between 75 and 78 as the Hatters stand in sixth place in a 10-team field after the first round. Junior Tommy Parker (Palm Beach, Fla.) led the way with a four over par round of 75 on the Woodlands Course at Chateau Elan Golf Club.
Parker is tied for 16th place in the individual standings; 50 total players are competing in the event. Sophomore Dave McAndrew (Barrington, R.I.) carded a 76 to finish one stroke behind in a tie for 22nd place while freshman Gabe Costa (Tequesta, Fla.), Stetson's first golfer off the tee today, continued the theme with a 77 (+6). Freshman Michael Stewart (Edgewater, Fla.) and senior Brenden Kennedy (Newport, N.H.) each carded rounds of seven over par 78 to complete the quintet.
Parker got off to a solid start, making birdie on the par-four ninth hole to make the turn at even par 36. He then shook off a double bogey at the par-five 15th with three straight pars to close out his round. McAndrew's round unfolded in a similar fashion: he stood +3 after 12 holes and was able to work around a double bogey at the 13th with five consecutive pars down the stretch. Kennedy also made par on the last four holes of the par-71 layout to steady himself after a rocky opening nine.
Gardner-Webb is the surprise leader after Round 1 at even par as the Runnin' Bulldogs have finished sixth, eighth and 12th at the A-Sun Championships the last three years. GWU's Blake Palmer blistered the 6,735-yard golf course with five birdies and an eagle en route to a tournament-leading 65 (-6). 20th-ranked East Tennessee State, the defending champion, is in second place at +8 with North Florida one shot back of ETSU in third place at +9. Following the Ospreys are Campbell (+10) and hosts Kennesaw State (+12) before the Hatters at +22. Mercer (+24), Belmont (+29), Lipscomb (+30) and Jacksonville (+32) complete the field.
Palmer enjoys a four-stroke lead over ETSU's Gareth Shaw with Shaw's teammate Rhys Enoch one shot behind in third place at -1. Five golfers are tied for fourth place at +1. The Hatters came off the course in ninth place but watched the field come back to them in the afternoon.
Stetson, which joined Lipscomb as the first two teams off the tee this morning starting at 8 a.m., has earned the right to tee off starting at 9:40 a.m. tomorrow in Round 2. Each Hatter will be paired with a golfer from Campbell and Kennesaw State.
