Johnson City, Tenn. -- The East Tennessee State University men's golf team is in fifth place after the first round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships from the Duke University Golf Course in Durham, N.C.
The 6th ranked Bucs finished the first day at 5-over par as a team (293), 13 shots behind the leaders, the University of Arizona.
Senior All-American Chris Wisler led the Bucs in their first round of play. The fifth-ranked Wisler was one of the few players on the Duke University course to shoot under par on Wednesday. He shot a 1-under par 71 and is currently in a tie for ninth, five shots back of individual leaders Kris Mikkelsen of Georgia Tech and Chris Nallen of Arizona.
Sophomore James Johnson finished his first round at 1-over par (73) in a tie for 31st. Fellow sophomore Thomas Lee is just one shot behind Johnson after firing a first-round 74 (+2). He is currently in a tie for 45th.
One shot behind Lee, in a tie for 66th at 3-over par (75) is senior Pat Beste. The final Buccaneer finisher was sophomore Adam Riddering, who shot a 4-over par 76 to finish in a tie for 96th.
The first-seeded Buccaneers will tee off at 7 a.m. Thursday morning in the second round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championships from Duke University Golf Course in Durham, N.C.
Top-5 Team Results
1. #9 Arizona 280 -8
2. #2 Georgia Tech 289 +1
T3. #11 Augusta State 292 +3
T3. Toledo 292 +3
5. #6 East Tennessee State 293 +5
Individual Top-5 and ETSU Finishers
T1. Kris Mikkelsen, Georgia Tech 66 -6
T1. Chris Nallen, Arizona 66 -6
3. Ricky Barnes, Arizona 68 -4
T4. Nick Gilliam, Florida 69 -3
T4. Michael Webb, Augusta State 69 -3
T9. Chris Wisler, ETSU 70 -1
T31. James Johnson, ETSU 73 +1
T45. Thomas Lee, ETSU 74 +2
T66. Pat Beste, ETSU 75 +3
T96. Adam Riddering, ETSU 76 +4