Saturday, April 02, 2005

            AUGUSTA, Ga. (April 2, 2005) - Despite wind gusts of 35 mph which led to the postponement of second round play, the East Tennessee State University men's golf team maintained its composure and overcame the elements to grab the top spot on the team leaderboard after first round play Saturday in the Augusta State Invitational at the Forest Hills Golf Club.

            The Bucs, who posted a team score of 303, lead by one stroke over host Augusta State and by two strokes over third place Georgia Southern. ETSU was led by sophomore Rhys Davies (Bridgend, Wales), who posted a remarkable score of 2-under-par 70 and holds by two-stroke advantage over Augusta State's Scott Jamieson.

            Along with Davies, the Bucs got solid performances from freshmen Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland) and Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), as well as senior Cennydd Mills (Cardiff, Wales). McNamara finished tied for 11^th at 4-over-par, while Shaw and Mills are tied for 22^nd and 36^th, respectively.

            For the Bucs, it is the first time they have led a round since winning the 2001 NCAA East Regionals. According to head coach Fred Warren, having players from countries such as Ireland and Wales helped the Bucs survive despite the treacherous conditions.

            "You can tell from the scores today that's it's definitely an advantage to have players who are used to playing in these conditions," Warren said. "It really wasn't pleasant out there, and in recent memory, it was probably the worst we've played in. I think it came down to us surviving it better than some of the other teams."

            In a field that includes highly-ranked Wake Forest, Clemson, Duke and North Carolina, Warren said tomorrow's second and third round will be a test for the Bucs - both mentally and physically. Warren said Davies, who has won three of the last seven college tournaments in which he has competed, will have to continue to play well and the rest of the Bucs will have to again post respectable scores.

"Because we only played one round today, it's like we're only one third of the way through a one-mile race," Warren said. "But you have to be impressed with what Rhys accomplished out there. The wind was so strong trees were coming uprooted and falling all over the course."

Sunday's second and third round will begin at 8 a.m. For live results and standings, visit Golfstat.com.

Augusta State Invitational
Augusta, Ga.
Forest Hills Golf Club
Par 72 - 7231 yards

Team Results