April 22, 2011
Live scoring, results and tee times
ACC Network on theACC.com (free live coverage at 1:30 p.m. Saturday)
New London, N.C. – Paul Haley and Kyle Scott each fired a 4-under-par 68 Friday, taking a 1-shot lead in the individual race and lifting fourth-ranked Georgia Tech to an 8-stroke lead after the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship.
The two Tech seniors each continued strong play that began last weekend on the Yellow Jackets’ home course, where they finished 1-2 in the Yellow Jacket Classic, and continued their success on the par 72, 7,102-yard Old North State Club, where they finished fourth and 12th, respectively, in last year’s conference championship.
James White added an even-par 72 and John-Tyler Griffin a 1-over 73 at the Yellow Jackets posted a team total of 7-under 281 to take an 8-stroke lead over 16th-ranked Duke (1-over 289). Clemson is third at 290, followed by Wake Forest (293) and Florida State (294), Virginia and NC State (295 each), North Carolina (297), Virginia Tech (299), Maryland (304) and Boston College (314).
“The conditions were pretty nasty, almost under water at the beginning, but we hung in there pretty well, and this was a good start,” said head coach Bruce Heppler, whose team is vying to win its third consecutive ACC title and fifth in the last six years. “Paul and Kyle played very solidly, hit a lot of good shots and made a lot of putts.”
Haley recorded five birdies, three of them on par 4s and one on a par 3, and one bogey Friday in matching his season-best round. Scott also had five birdies and a bogey, making his hay on the Old North State Club’s par 5s (three birdies). White had a solid round going, with two birdies and no bogeys, until he made 5 on the par 3 17th. He is tied for 11th individually as 10 of the 55 players broke par in rainy conditions.
Individually, Duke’s Yaroslav Merkulov and Wake Forest’s John Varol are a shot behind Haley and Scott at 3-under-par 69. NC State’s Albin Choi, Clemson’s Corbin Mills and Virginia’s Henry Smart are tied for fifth at 2-under 70.
The second round of the 54-hole event begins at 8 a.m. Saturday.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPOld North State Club at Uwharrie Point, New London, N.C.First-Round Results
TEAM STANDINGS 1 Georgia Tech 281 -7 2 Duke 289 +1 3 Clemson 290 +2 4 Wake Forest 293 +5 5 Florida State 294 +6 T6 Virginia 295 +7 T6 North Carolina State 295 +7 8 North Carolina 297 +9 9 Virginia Tech 299 +11 10 Maryland 304 +16 11 Boston College 314 +26
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS T1 Paul Haley Georgia Tech 68 -4 T1 Kyle Scott Georgia Tech 68 -4 T3 John Varol Wake Forest 69 -3 T3 Yaroslav Merkulov Duke 69 -3 T5 Henry Smart Virginia 70 -2 T5 Albin Choi North Carolina State 70 -2 T5 Corbin Mills Clemson 70 -2 T8 Drew Kittleson Florida State 71 -1 T8 Julian Suri Duke 71 -1 T8 Jacob Burger Clemson 71 -1 T11 Blake Redmond Virginia Tech 72 E T11 Lee Bedford Wake Forest 72 E T11 James White Georgia Tech 72 E
GEORGIA TECH SCORES T1 Kyle Scott (3) 68 68 T1 Paul Haley (4) 68 68 T11 James White (1) 72 72 T14 J.T. Griffin (2) 73 73 T20 Richy Werenski (5) 74 74
