By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Tennessee Tech men's golf team knocked out round one of action at The Carolina Cup Sunday afternoon, finishing the first 18 holes at The Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg, S.C.

The Golden Eagles finished day one of play ranked fifth among the eight teams in action, producing a score of 304. Western Carolina topped the leaderboard, boasting a three-stroke lead with a 295. Oakland's Brennan Sullivan led all individuals with a 2-under 70.

For the purple and gold, it was Drew Bolton leading the way on Sunday with an even-par 72. The freshman racked up three birdies and 12 pars while tying for second among the 56 participants. Just two shots behind was junior Haden Maxwell, compiling three birdies of his own for a 2-over 74. He tied for seventh through one round.

Next among the Golden Eagles on the leaderboard, Matthew Shull tied for 27th overall. The sophomore carded a 77 with the benefit of one birdie and an eagle on the par-5 18th hole. Rookie Hil Thompson tallied an 81 to round out the Tech scoring, tallying one birdie of his own.

Competing as individuals, Alex Broyles and Avery Irwin each turned in scores of 80 to tie for 46th. Broyles captured a birdie in his round while Irwin picked up two. Alexander Bassel completed the day for the Golden Eagles, finishing with one birdie and an 88 overall.

Round two of The Carolina Cup is slated to kick off Monday morning with split tee times beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT.

File photo by Jim Dillon