Birmingham, AL – After a productive opening round at Inverness Country Club, Austin Peay State University (APSU) men’s golf team finds itself firmly in the mix at the GMAC Invitational, hosted by UAB.
With a seven-over 287 through 18 holes, the APSU Govs are in seventh, but fewer than 10 shots separate them from third-place Western Kentucky. Host UAB leads the way after a six-under 274, with Central Arkansas three shots back after a 277.
Freshman Tyson Seyler led the way for the APSU Govs with an opening-round 69, including a 33 on the back-nine to open the tournament. His 3.83 par-4 stroke average and 15 pars both place him among the top-five in the field and he’s one shot behind LSU’s Austin Randall and Belmont’s Jackson Whaley for lowest-scoring freshman in Round One.
Senior Jack Dyer and junior Zach Olsen both shot two-over 72s on Sunday to open their stay in Birmingham. The duo both birdied the 549-yard par-5 on No. 2; in fact, four of the six Govs in the field posted under-par scores off No. 2 during the opening round. Senior Seth Smith was the final scorer in the opening round for the Govs, shooting a four-over 74; his 13 pars were second-most on the Governors, whose team total of 57 pars ranks fourth among all teams after the first round.
After opening with a back-nine 45, junior Grady Cox found his groove with a three-under 33 on the front, which included birdies on No. 8 and No. 9 to finish his round. His four birdies led the Govs at the end of Day One.
Competing as an individual, junior Parker Elkins was posted a solid day for APSU, shooting a one-over 71 to sit tied for 23rd. His work was particularly excellent on No. 13 and No. 14, which played as two of the hardest holes on the course Sunday, yielding just six combined birdies – including one for Elkins on each hole.
The Austin Peay State University men’s golf team opens the second round Monday morning from Inverness Country Club, with the Govs slated to go off Hole No. 1 beginning at 9:40am. APSU will be paired with Winthrop and West Florida in the second round.
