The Arkansas men’s golf team is leading after the first round of the sixth annual Blessings Collegiate Invitational at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville. The team posted a 5-over-par 293, placing them six strokes ahead of Louisville and Brigham Young, who both finished with an 11-over-par 299.
Six Arkansas players are currently ranked among the top 11 individuals. Cam Smith and Thomas Curry are tied for second place, John Daly II is tied for seventh, while Erich Fortlage, Niilo Maki-Petaja, and Alex Yang are all tied for eleventh. Smith, Daly, Fortlage, and Maki-Petaja contributed to the team score; Curry and Yang are competing as individuals.
Smith started his round with birdies on his second and third holes but had bogeys on holes 15 and 16. He managed to return to even par before finishing his round at an even-par 72. Curry also shot an even-par 72 after making an eagle on his fourteenth hole but closed with a bogey and two pars.
After the first day, Kansas State is in fourth place with a score of +13 (301), Kent State is fifth at +14 (302), and Washington State and UNC Greensboro are tied for sixth at +15 (303). Missouri, Mississippi State, and Maryland round out the bottom three spots.
The second round will take place on Tuesday, October 1. Razorback individual players will start at 8 a.m., followed by the team teeing off at 9 a.m., both from hole one.
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