JACKSONVILLE JOCKS TO FORE IN
ATLANTIC SUN CHAMPIONSHIP
Jacksonville University, Florida’s Scottish golf students Russell Knox from Inverness and Duncan Stewart from Grantown on Spey were lying sixth and joint ninth respectively at the end of the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference’s men’s college golf championship at The Golf Club at Sanctuary Cove, Waverly in Georgia.
On a day when the weather was against low scoring – three players shared the low on two-over-par 73 – Russell, pictured right, was not all that happy with a 75 over the 7,003yd, par-72 course.
That’s because he finished with a double bogey 6 at the 18th . He had two birdies, at the long seventh and 10th but dropped other shots at the first, fourth, sixth and 10th in halves of 38 and 37.
Duncan also marred his scorecard with a double bogey 5 at the short 16th. He had birdies at the 11th, 12th and 17th but bogeys at the fourth, seventh, eighth, 13th, 14th, 15th and 18th in halves of 39 and 38.
If Knox and Stewart were rueing missed chances, compatriot Jordan Findlay (East Tennessee State) from Fraserburgh must have been wondering where his golf game has gone wrong this year.
He had another nightmare day in scoring an 11-over-par 82 for joint 32nd place. Jordan had triple bogey 7s at both the 17th and 18th, having run up double bogey 6s at the sixth and 14th in halves of 38 and 44.
Underlining the degree of difficulty of the course and the conditions, Rhys Davies from South Wales, winner of 10 tournaments in his four years at East Tennessee State University, could do no better than a 79 which put him in joint 16th place alongside Jamie Kennedy (Jacksonville) from Edinburgh.
Irishmen Seamus Power and Gareth Shaw (both East Tennessee State) shared the lead on 73 with Jeff Dennis (North Florida).
LEADING SCORES
Par 71
73 J Dennis (North Florida), S Power (East Tennessee State), G Shaw (East Tennessee State).
74 D McAndrew (Stetson), M O’Neal (North Florida).
75 R Knox (Jacksonville).
Other GB scores:
77 D Stewart (Jacksonville) (jt 9th).
79 R Davies (East Tennessee State), J Kennedy (Jacksonville) (jt 16th).
82 J Findlay (East Tennessee State) (jt 32nd).
LEADING TEAMS
302 North Florida.
307 East Tennessee State.
310 Jacksonville.

... BUT NEIL AND DANIEL STRUGGLE IN PEACH
BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Daniel Sommerville from St Andrews and Glasgow's Neil McBride , both students at Clayton State University, Atlantic were lying in joint 33rd and joint 37th positions in a field of 40 players at the end of the first day in the Peach Belt Conference college championship at Harbor Club, Georgia.
Over a 7,022yd, par-72 course, which might have been on the long side for both players, Daniel scored 85 and 81 for 166 while Neil shot 82 and 85 for 167.
One of their Clayton State team-mates, Will Wilcox, led on level par 144 with scores of 73 and 71.