April 17, 2009
p Official ACC Golf Championship site
Live scoring and tee times
ACC Select live video coverage (2-5 p.m. Saturday)
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New London, N.C. – Cameron Tringale shook off a poor start to post a 5-under-par 67 and almost single-handedly lift sixth-ranked Georgia Tech to the lead after the first round of the 56th Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship.
Tech shot a 7-under-par 281 as a team, and took a one-stroke lead over No. 24 NC State (282) when Tringale, playing in the final group of the day, eagled the par-5 18th hole from the fringe. No. 5 Clemson rallied from a poor start to finish at 2-under 286 for third place, followed by No. 25 Florida State (1-under 287). Maryland and Virginia Tech are tied for fifth at 289, followed by North Carolina and Duke at 290.
Tringale was 3-over-par heading to the ninth hole when he hit his approach close and made his putt for a birdie. It set off a torrid back-nine for the Tech senior, who birdied 11, 12, 13, 15 and 16 before his eagle at 18 gave him a 7-under-par 29 for the back nine on the Old North State Club.
“I knew there were a lot of birdies out there, so I didn’t really get worked up,” said Tringale. “It’s tough to stay calm, but I’ve been around this place a bunch of times. I felt like I could do some damage if I could make a couple of putts. Once you make the first one, the rest are a lot easier. It snowballed into a good back nine. It’s good momentum I can take into the rest of the tournament.”
The round matched the 67 posted earlier in the day by Virginia Tech senior and former British Amateur champion Drew Weaver. NC State’s Matt Hill (68) is a shot back, followed by Clemson’s Kyle Stanley and Maryland’s Brendan Tracy. Three others are tied at 2-under-par 70.
For Tringale, it was a typical day on the Old North State Club course, where he has averaged 69.67 strokes in nine rounds the last three years. The Laguna Niguel, Calif., won the ACC title as a freshman, finished second as a sophomore and tied for 13th last year.
“He’s our best player,” said head coach Bruce Heppler, who followed Tringale around the course Friday. “I don’t know that we’re deep enough to clean up a mess that he would make. So when he was 3-over, I looked up at the scoreboard and saw that all the other made the turn at even or better, so that was very positive. He made the putt at nine and just took off, and that’s what we need him to do for us to contend.”
Sixteen golfers broke par Friday in near-perfect weather conditions, high temperatures in the upper 60’s, clear skies and light winds off Badin Lake. Tech junior Chesson Hadley and freshman James White were among a group of eight golfers a 1-under-par 71, while sophomore John-Tyler Griffin is in a seven-player tie at even-par 72.
Tech will again play in the final groupings for Saturday’s second round, teeing off at 11:10 a.m. Live scoring is provided online beginning at 8:30 a.m., and ACC Select will provide live online video coverage at the 17th and 18th holes from 2-5 p.m. (see links above).
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Old North State Club, New London, N.C.
First-Round Results
TEAM STANDINGS1 Georgia Tech 281 -72 North Carolina State 282 -63 Clemson 286 -24 Florida State 287 -1T5 Maryland, U. of 289 +1T5 Virginia Tech 289 +1T7 North Carolina 290 +2T7 Duke University 290 +29 Virginia 291 +310 Wake Forest Univ. 295 +711 Boston College 311 +23
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS T1 Drew Weaver Virginia Tech 67 -5 T1 Cameron Tringale Georgia Tech 67 -5 3 Matt Hill North Carolina State 68 -4 T4 Brendan Tracy Maryland, U. of 69 -3 T4 Kyle Stanley Clemson 69 -3 T6 Brandon Detweiler North Carolina State 70 -2 T6 Clark Klaasen Duke University 70 -2 T6 Drew Kittleson Florida State 70 -2 T9 David May Clemson 71 -1 T9 Brad Revell North Carolina State 71 -1 T9 Lee Bedford Wake Forest Univ. 71 -1 T9 Kevin O’Connell North Carolina 71 -1 T9 James White Georgia Tech 71 -1 T9 Chesson Hadley Georgia Tech 71 -1 T9 Matthew Savage Florida State 71 -1 T9 Matthew Pierce Duke University 71 -1
GEORGIA TECH SCORES T1 Cameron Tringale (1) 67 T9 Chesson Hadley (3) 71 T9 James White (5) 71 T17 John Tyler Griffin (2) 72 T32 David Dragoo (4) 74
