By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
SEMMES, Ala. – The Tennessee Tech men's golf team completed the opening round of the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate on Sunday afternoon, circling the links of the Falls Course at RTJ at Magnolia Grove.
The purple and gold turned in a first-round tally of 302, ranking 13th overall while sitting just five shots out of eighth. Host South Alabama rocked its familiar course to the tune of an 8-under 276, leading the field by six shots right out of the gate. USA's Hugo Thyr paced the individual leaderboard, recording a 7-under 64.
For the Golden Eagles, it was junior Haden Maxwell leading the troops by tying for ninth among the 78-man field. The Tech veteran fired a 2-under 69 thanks to a team-best six birdies on the day.
Tying for 45th to rank second for the purple and gold, sophomore Alex Broyles closed his day out with a fury to finish with a 76. The youngster recorded three of his five birdies on the day over the final three holes.
Rookies Spencer Stuke and Drew Bolton were the next to contribute to the Golden Eagle effort, sitting just one shot apart. Stuke tied for 61st after tallying a 78 with two birdies while Bolton tied for 64th behind a 79 and one birdie.
Making his Golden Eagle debut, sophomore Owen Bright rounded out the lineup for the Cookeville crew with a round of 80 and two birdies.
Monday's second round will open with tee times set to begin at 7:21 a.m. CT.
| Top 5 Teams: | ||||||
| 1. | South Alabama | 276 | -8 | |||
| 2. | UCF | 282 | -2 | |||
| 3. | Jacksonville State | 283 | -1 | |||
| 4. | Marshall | 288 | +4 | |||
| 5. | Valparaiso | 289 | +5 | |||
| 13. | Tennessee Tech | 302 | +18 | |||
| Leaderboard (78 Golfers) | ||||||
| 1. | Hugo Thyr (South Alabama) | 64 | -7 | |||
| T-9. | Haden Maxwell | 69 | -2 | |||
| T-45. | Alex Broyles | 76 | +5 | |||
| T-61. | Spencer Stuke | 78 | +7 | |||
| T-64. | Drew Bolton | 79 | +8 | |||
| T-72. | Owen Bright | 80 | +9 | |||
File photo by Mark Elsner
