Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Breathing Down Necks Of Leaders In Georgia
4/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
April 9, 2007
ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Difficult conditions, high scores, caddies and a crowded leaderboard at an April golf tournament in Georgia. Sound familiar?
It's not the Masters, but the 21st-ranked Wake Forest golf team is attempting to play the role of Zach Johnson here this week at the U.S. Collegiate Championship. And the Demon Deacons, hardly the underdog that Johnson played at the Masters, are in great shape after the first round.
Juniors Webb Simpson and Chris McCartin both shot even par 72s today at the 7,017-yard Lakeside Course at the Golf Club of Georgia to lead Wake Forest to a tie for third after Monday's first round. The Deacons, who shot a cumulative 8-over 296 on Monday, are just four strokes off the pace in a 15-team field that includes nine of the nation's top 15 ranked clubs.
ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Clemson share the team lead after both the Yellow Jackets and Tigers shot 4-over 292 on Monday. Wake Forest and second-ranked Georgia are tied for third place at 8-over. Five other teams are within eight strokes of the lead, including defending NCAA champion and seventh-ranked Oklahoma State (+10), 19th-ranked Georgia State (+10), third-ranked Alabama (+11), fifth-ranked UCLA (+11) and 17th-ranked East Tennessee State (+12).
The second annual USCC, a unique stop on the schedule with players provided with caddies, continues Tuesday and Wednesday with 18 holes on each day.
Only six of the 78 players in the field shot under par in Monday's opening round. Clemson's Tanner Ervin and Georgia's Chris Kirk are tied for the individual lead with 2-under par 70s.
Simpson and McCartin are tied for seventh place and just two shots back after both Deacons shot even par on Monday. Simpson and McCartin had similar rounds as both players began their round with a birdie on the first hole and ended their round with a birdie on the 18th hole.
Deacon freshman Brendan Gielow is tied for 13th place and just three strokes off the pace after shooting a 1-over 73 Monday. Senior Sean Moore and sophomore Dustin Groves both shot 7-over 79 to round out Wake's scoring.
The U.S. Collegiate Championship is Wake Forest's final tune-up before the April 20-22 ACC Championship at Uwharrie Pointe, N.C.
U.S. Collegiate Championship
April 9-11, 2007
Golf Club of Georgia (Lakeside Course)
Par 72 / 7,017 Yards
Team Standings
Clemson 292 +4
Georgia Tech 292 +4
Georgia 296 +8
Wake Forest 296 +8
Georgia State 298 +10
Oklahoma State 298 +10
Alabama 299 +11
UCLA 299 +11
East Tennessee St. 300 +12
Southern California 304 +16
Florida 305 +17
Texas 305 +17
TCU 309 +21
BYU 310 +22
Florida State 310 +22
Top Individuals
Tanner Ervin (Clem) 70 -2
Chris Kirk (Georgia) 70 -2
Sam Saunders (Clem) 71 -1
Daniel Summerhays (BY) 71 -1
Joel Sjoholm (GS) 71 -1
Matthew Swan (Alab) 71 -1
Wake Forest Scores
Chris McCartin 72 E
Webb Simpson 72 E
Brendan Gielow 73 +1
Dustin Groves 79 +7
Sean Moore 79 +7
TEAM 296 +8 3rd
Players Mentioned
