The Stetson men's golf team opened play on Monday in the J.T. Poston Invitational and the Country Club of Sapphire Valley with a solid round of 284.
 
Like the rest of the field, the Hatters were only able to get in a few holes of play in the second round through on-again, off-again rain showers before play was finally suspended.
 
The field of 14 teams will return to the course to resume play on Tuesday morning with the hope of completing the second round before rolling right into the third. That plan may have to be adjusted, however, by a forecast that is calling for a 60 to 70 percent chance of thunderstorms.
 
Stetson senior Chris Williard and sophomore Benjamin Resnick led the way for the Hatters as both posted opening round scores of two-under par 69. Williard had four birdies and two bogeys during his round to go with a eagle on the par five 14^th hole and a double-bogey on the par three 16^th.
 
Resnick had four birdies and two bogeys during his round.
 
Sophomore Carson Tewell had a one-over par opening round 72. Freshmen Mason Quagliata and Jonathan Lumley both had opening rounds of three-over par 74.
 
As a team, the Hatters' two-under par score of 284 has them in 10^th place in the 14-team field. Georgia Southern raced out to a big early lead 19-under par opening round that included 20 birdies and just one bogey from the Eagles' top four players.
 
GSU has a six shot lead over Virginia Commonwealth in second place and an eight-shot lead over South Carolina.
 
Live scoring for the completion of the second round and play in the third round on Tuesday will be available on Golfstat.com.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.