Texas Tech holds nine-stroke lead after 18 holes at NCAA Austin Regional
May 14, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas -- Texas Tech used four individual rounds of even-par or better to shoot a 2-under-par 282 en route to a nine-stroke lead after the first day at the NCAA Men's Golf Austin Regional at The University of Texas Golf Club (par-71, 7,412 yards). Host Texas finished at 7-over-par 291 and rests in second place, while Florida stands in third at 9-over-par 293. Texas junior Lance Lopez and Lamar junior Hugues Joannes are tied for the individual lead after both fired rounds of 3-under-par 68. Three other individuals, Nils Floren and Brian Scherer of Texas Tech and Steve Ziegler of Stanford, all posted scores of 1-under-par 70. Texas Tech also counted even-par rounds from Garrett Merrell and Chris Ward. Stanford, the top seed at the Austin Regional, is in fourth place after the first 18 holes at 10-over-par 294. UNLV and Lamar are tied for fifth in the team standings at 12-over-par 296. The low five teams and low individual not on those teams at the Austin Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships, scheduled for May 26-30 in Toledo, Ohio. Lopez, who began his round at hole 10, used birdies at 10, 12 and 18 en route to a 3-under-par 33 on the back nine. He then made the turn and moved to 4-under with a birdie on one. After a bogey on three and birdie on six to stay at 4-under, he made back-to-back bogeys on seven and eight to drop to 2-under before finishing his round with a birdie on the par-five ninth hole. Joannes opened the day with three straight birdies and ended with six overall to go along with three bogeys. The 68 marked the lowest first-round score of his Lamar career and the third time he has carded a 68 this season. It also marked the second-lowest 18-hole round in a NCAA Regional tourney by a Lamar individual, just behind Dawie van der Walt's 67 in the second round of the 2005 regional in South Bend, Ind. Second-round play gets underway on Friday, May 15 at 8:30 a.m. The top three teams after round one (Texas Tech, Texas and Florida) are slated to tee off beginning at 9:40 a.m. on hole one.
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