Meronk tied for sixth at 1-over

BRASELTON, Ga. (April 20, 2014) – The ETSU men’s golf team carded an 11-over-par 299 and sit in fourth-place after the first round of the Atlantic Sun Championship, which began Sunday at The Legends Golf Club.

The Bucs, who were led by sophomore Adrian Meronk (Wroclaw, Poland), are 11 shots back of team-leader Kennesaw State. The 40th-ranked Owls fired an even-par 288 and hold a two-shot lead over No. 33 Mercer and seven-stroke lead over two-time defending champion, No. 53 North Florida.

Meronk is one of six golfers tied for sixth at 1-over-par 73 and is four shots off the lead. Meronk had a rollercoaster day in the first round as he posted five birdies and six bogeys. The Buccaneer sophomore bogeyed two of the first three holes and ended with consecutive bogeys on No. 17 and 18. Sandwiched between the bogeys was a stretch of three straight birdies, beginning at the par-5, 521-yard No. 5; however, Meronk bogeyed the final two holes on the front nine. Meronk moved back to 1-under on the back nine as he birdied the par-3, 213-yard No. 12 and the par-5, 520-yard No. 14, but couldn’t stay under par as he finished with back-to-back bogeys.

Teremoana Beaucousin of Kennesaw State sits atop the individual leaderboard after totaling a 3-under 69, while four golfers are tied for second at 1-under 71.

Joining Meronk in the top-15 is fellow sophomore Gudmundur Kristjansson (Reykjavik, Iceland), as he’s tied for 12th at 2-over 74. Kristjansson tallied three birdies and three bogeys in the opening round, but also suffered a double-bogey on No. 12.

Other ETSU notables include junior Rhys Pugh (Pontypridd, Wales) and freshman Mateusz Gradecki (Oborniki Śląskie, Poland) as they are tied for 20th, while sophomore Chris Hickman (Centreville, Md.) is tied for 26th. Pugh and Gradecki shot a 76 and Hickman carded a 77 on Sunday.

The Bucs begin second round play on Monday at 8 a.m., and ETSU is paired with Jacksonville. The Dolphins are in fifth at 16-over 304.

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For more information on Buccaneer men’s golf, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s golf page.