ATLANTA (May 18) – Top-ranked Georgia Tech, one of 18 teams who were able finish their rounds Thursday, stands in ninth place, six shots off the pace, after carding a 13-over-par 297 in the first round of the NCAA East Regional golf tournament at Moosic, Pa.
Morning rains and late afternoon thunderstorms caused two delays in the first round, leaving nine teams and 42 individuals to complete their rounds Friday morning on the par-71 Glenmaura National Golf Club.
East Tennessee State leads at seven-over-par 291, followed by Clemson at 292, Mississippi State and Virginia at 293 and Wake Forest at 294. Defending national champion Georgia, Georgia State and Middle Tennessee State were next at 296.
ACC Player of the Year Bryce Molder (Conway, Ark.) paced the Jackets with an even-par 71 and is tied for sixth place with five other players. Seniors Matt Kuchar (Lake Mary, Fla.) and Carlton Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) each posted a 74. Sophomore Matt Weibring (Plano, Texas) shot 78, and freshman Troy Matteson (Austin, Texas) failed to count for Tech with an 81.
“We can do better. We have to trust ourselves,” Georgia Tech coach Bruce Heppler said. “But at some point we have to put up a score and stop talking about it.”
Georgias Michael Morrison, who shot 69, is tied for the individual lead with James Driscoll of Virginia. ETSU freshman Thomas Lee carded a one-under-par 70 and is tied with Clemson’s duo of senior Jonathan Byrd and junior Lucas Glover (Greenville, S.C.). The following teams did not finish the first round: Yale University, James Madison University, University of Richmond, North Carolina State University, Duke University, Augusta State University, Auburn University, University of Florida, University of North Florida and the University of South Carolina. The top 11 teams, along with the top two individuals whose team do not advance, will advance to the NCAA championships in Opelika, Alabama on May 31-June 3.
NCAA EAST REGIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT
Results of the 18 teams that completed the opening round
Glenmaura National Golf Club (Par 71, 6,847 yards)
Moosic, Pa.
Team Scores 1. East Tennessee St. University 2912. Clemson University 2923. University of Virginia 2933. Mississippi St. University 2935. Wake Forest University 2946. Middle Tennessee St. University 2966. Georgia St. University 2966. University of Georgia 2969. Georgia Tech 29710. University of North Carolina 30111. Penn St. University 30212. University of Rhode Island 30312. University of Tennessee 30312. Seton Hall University 30315. Auburn University 30416. University of Alabama-Birmingham 30517. Dartmouth College 30818. Virginia Commonwealth University 310
Top Individuals 1. Michael Morrison – Georgia 69 -2 1. James Driscoll – Virginia 69 -2 3. Thomas Lee – ETSU 70 -1 3. Lucas Glover – Clemson 70 -1 3. Jonathan Byrd – Clemson 70 -1 6. Ben Banks – Florida 71 E 6. Derrick Centers – Tennessee 71 E 6. Bryce Molder – Georgia Tech 71 E 6. Ben Smith – Mississippi St. 71 E 10. Jay Morgan – Wake Forest 72 +1 10. Cody Mudd – Mississippi St. 72 +1 10. John Mueller – Mississippi St. 72 +1 10. Adam Riddering – ETSU 72 +1 10. Mike Saporito – Penn St. 72 +1 10. Eugene Smith – Seton Hall 72 +1
