By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - It was a tale of two rounds for the Tennessee Tech men's golf team Monday, as the Golden Eagles kicked off the 2014-15 season with an up-and-down day at the Sam Hall Intercollegiate hosted by Southern Miss.
Tech looked poised to compete for the tournament title right out of the gate, posting a first-round team score of 285 behind the brilliant play of senior Lee Whitehead. The wiley veteran tallied a scorching 67 to grab second place after the first round of play and freshman Ben Huskey chimed in with a very impressive 70 in his Golden Eagle debut.
The tied quickly turned for the Tech squad, however, as the team struggled with consistency in the second round of the day, combining for a 297 and falling to 13th place in the field.
"The guys started out great," head coach Polk Brown said. "You couldn't have asked for a much better start to the year. Round two was a different story. We have to learn to play with some poise and cut down on some mistakes. I think round three will be a big improvement for the guys and I fully expect them to bounce back."
The Golden Eagles sit just 12 strokes out of a top five finish in the event and will look for Whitehead to continue his strong play. He rounded out the day with a 67-74=141 to lead the Tech group and sit in a tie for 11th overall. Huskey turned in a scorecard of 70-74=144 and is currently tied for 28th in the field.
Junior Mitch Thomas and senior Mason Griffin finished the day with final days of 75-74=149 and 73-77=150, respectively.
The Sam Hall Intercollegiate will wrap up with the final round on Tuesday morning.