Bucs lead No. 31 Georgia by seven strokes; Ege fired lowest collegiate round at 8-under 64

RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico (Feb. 12, 2023) – There’s a lot of Blue & Gold atop the team and individual leaderboards at the Puerto Rico Classic.

Highlighted by the stellar play of Mats Ege (Kristiansand, Norway) and Algot Kleen (Fiskebackskil, Sweden), the ETSU men’s golf team holds the first-round lead in Puerto Rico as the tournament got underway Sunday at the Grand Reserve Golf Club.

Ege fired his lowest collegiate round – an 8-under-par 64 – and holds a two-shot lead over Kleen. The 8-under is also tied for the fourth-lowest round in the 30-year history of the prestigious tournament.

Ege was flawless on Sunday as he carded eight birdies and 10 pars en route to taking the lead. The Norwegian, who started the round on No. 5, collected seven birdies over an 11-hole stretch, beginning on the par-3, 192-yard No. 11. Ege birdied both par-3s on the back-nine as he posted another on No. 16, while enjoying a run of four straight birdies from No. 18 through No. 3. Ege’s previous collegiate low was a 65, which he accomplished twice – most-recently coming in the final round of the Maui Jim Intercollegiate back in September.

Kleen tied his lowest round with his 6-under-par 66 and sits in solo second. Kleen had seven birdies on Sunday as he began the round with one on the par-4, 448-yard No. 7. The Fiskebackskil, Sweden native was three-under through his first six holes, while his lone blemish came on the par-4, 459-yard No. 14 where he collected a bogey. Kleen quickly bounced back with a birdie on the next hole – the par-5, 600-yard No. 15 – and moved to four-under thanks to another birdie on the par-4, 411-yard No. 17. Kleen birdied both par-5s on the front nine to finish strong, propelling his way near the top of the leaderboard.

With Ege and Kleen combining to post a score of 14-under, the Buccaneers shot their way up the team leaderboard as ETSU sits 16-under-par 272. The Blue & Gold hold a seven-shot lead over No. 31 Georgia and a 10-stroke advantage over third-place Wisconsin. No. 16 Oklahoma (-5) and South Carolina (-4) round out the top five team leaders.

As a team, the Bucs registered a tournament-best 26 birdies on Sunday, while also leading the field in par-4 scoring (3.94) and ranking second in par-5 scoring (4.45). Ege led the field in par-3 scoring (2.25).

The Bucs’ other two countable scores came from Archie Davies (Carlisle, England) and Carson Kammann (Knoxville, Tenn.). Both Buccaneer standouts are tied for 19th at 1-under-par 71. Kammann, who was one of six golfers in the 77-player field to register an eagle on Sunday, leads the tournament in par-5 scoring (4.00). Kammann eagled his final hole of the round – the par-5, 535-yard No. 5 – to finish with his 71. The Knoxville native was the only golfer to eagle that hole on Sunday. 

The trio of Ege, Kleen and Davies combined for 21 birdies on Sunday. Ege totaled eight, Kleen had seven and Davies recorded six. 

Freshman Matty Dodd-Berry (Wirral, England), playing as an individual, also finished with a 1-under 71.

ETSU will be paired with Georgia and Wisconsin in Monday’s second round, which gets underway with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. ET.

Fans can follow live scoring all weekend at Golfstat.com. In addition, live tweets will be available by following the Bucs on Twitter @ETSU_MGolf.

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