By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – It was a strong start at the Ohio Valley Conference Championships for the Tennessee Tech men's golf team on Sunday, as the Golden Eagles wrapped up round one of competition on the Fighting Joe Course at The Shoals on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
Behind an impressive round of 4-over 292, the purple and gold ranked second among the 11 teams battling it out for an OVC title, sitting just one stroke back of current leader Little Rock. The Trojans' Archie Smith paced the field of 55 individual golfers with a 1-under 71 on the day.
Tech seniors Mark McDearman and Sean Anderson set the standard in round one, tying for second place with rounds of even-par 72. McDearman tallied four birdies in the first round, totaling 10 pars. Anderson also recorded four birdies to go along with 10 pars.
One stroke behind his teammates, sophomore Anders Larson tied for fourth on the day behind a round of 1-over 73. The youngster produced a pair of birdies while also securing 13 pars.
Jackson Skeen was the next Golden Eagle on the leaderboard, tying for 14th overall with a score of 75. The junior carded three birdies to pair with nine pars.
Rounding out the Tech lineup, Haden Maxwell ended his day with a 76 to tie for 19th overall. The sophomore totaled two birdies while also racking up 13 pars.
The Golden Eagles are set to tee off in round two Monday morning at 10:35 a.m. CT.
| Top 5 Teams: | ||||||
| 1. | Little Rock | 291=291 | +3 | |||
| 2. | Tennessee Tech | 292=292 | +4 | |||
| 3. | SIUE | 299=299 | +11 | |||
| 4. | UT Martin | 301=301 | +13 | |||
| 5. | Lindenwood | 307=307 | +19 | |||
| Leaderboard (55 Golfers) | ||||||
| 1. | Archie Smith (Little Rock) | 71=71 | -1 | |||
| T-2. | Mark McDearman | 72=72 | E | |||
| T-2. | Sean Anderson | 72=72 | E | |||
| T-4. | Anders Larson | 73=73 | +1 | |||
| T-14. | Jackson Skeen | 75=75 | +3 | |||
| T-19. | Haden Maxwell | 76=76 | +4 | |||
File photo by David Oghenekaro
