MURRELS INLET, S.C. (March 9, 2008) - The No. 22-ranked ETSU men's golf team struggled through its toughest day of golf so far this season, finishing the first day of the General Jim Hackler Championship in 10^th place Sunday at the TPC of Myrtle Beach.

            The Buccaneers had only one player finish in the Top 20 and found themselves at 39-over as a team. Host Coastal Carolina is leading the event at 13-over, seven strokes better than second place Duke. The two-day event opened with a pair of rounds Sunday followed by a single round Monday.

            "We obviously didn't do well today," said ETSU head coach Fred Warren. "As a coach, I would have had more fun having a root canal without anesthesia. We didn't hit it well, we didn't putt it well, and we didn't manage the game at all. Hopefully, we can do better tomorrow."

            Senior Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) was the top ETSU individual, finished tied for 18^th at 7-over-par for the event (76-75). Meanwhile, senior Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland) is tied for 29^th, freshman Rhys Enoch (Cornwall, England) is tied for 31^st, and sophomore Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland) is 49^th. Coastal's Dan Obremski is currently leading the event at 3-under (70-71).

Third and final round of the Hackler Championship is scheduled for Monday. Fans can keep up-to-date with the action live by visiting Golfstat.com or clicking on the link above.