DAVIE, Fla. - A rain-soaked round one of the 2018 Sunshine State Conference Men's Golf Championship has come to a close following a five-hour delay. Florida Tech holds a two-stroke advantage over Barry University for first place, while four individuals are tied for the lead at 3-under.
Play resumes from Grande Oaks Golf Club in Davie on Monday, April 23rd at 7:30 a.m. The 2018 event is hosted by Nova Southeastern University.
Round 2 Pairings | Davie Weather for April 23rd
Men's Round 1 Recap
Nineteen golfers sit at even or better following round one at Grande Oaks, including four golfers at 3-under (68): Max O'Hagan and Ali Thurlow of Florida Tech along with Juan Jose Guerra of Nova Southeastern University and John Coultas of Florida Southern College. Sunday's round marks the first time four or more golfers have tied for the lead at the SSC championship.
The field of 55 golfers averaged a score of 73.78 during round one, which is the fifth lowest scoring average for a round in SSC tournament history. The Top-3 lowest scoring rounds in SSC history were recorded at Grande Oaks in 2010.
The last three SSC men's golf champions finished in the top half of the field after Round 1. Manuel Torres [Lynn] paces the previous winners with a 1-under (70) that puts him in a five-way tie for 10th. Kyle Brey [Barry] carded an even round and is tied for 15th following two bogies and two birdies. John VanDerLaan [Florida Southern] is tied for 24th with a score of 2-over (73).
Individual Full Leaderboard - Day 1
Florida Tech shot 6-under (278) on Day 1 as a team to hold a narrow two-stroke lead over Barry. All five of the Panthers finished Top-20 on the day, with two tied for first place. The Buccaneers placed four golfers in the Top-15 including two who are tied for fifth. Florida Southern sits in third place just four strokes behind Florida Tech and two back of Barry. Rollins College wraps up day one in fourth place, while two strokes behind the Tars is Lynn University in fifth place.
Team Leaderboard - Day 1
Men's Tournament Notes
Six-under (65) stands as the best round shot during an SSC championship at Grande Oaks. A single-round score of six-under (or better) has been achieved only eight times in SSC championship history. Three golfers reached the mark during the 2010 championship. Just two 65's (7-under) have been shot in SSC championship history.
The team score for a championship round at Grande Oakes is 11-under (273), which was reached twice by Florida Southern College in the 2010 tournament. The Moccasins' 14-under at Lake Region in 2009 stands as the best round score in tournament history.
Golfers found the 5th (Par 3) and 18th (Par 4) holes the most challenging in Round 1, as both yielded 27 scores above par. Sunday's round saw three Eagles, including one on the 13th hole (Par 4).
The SSC boasts 15 golfers within the World Amateur Golf Ranking's Top-1000 and seven teams in the GCAA's Top-15
Last year, Brey tied the three-round SSC men's golf championship record set by Florida Southern's Steve Paramore's of 12-under. Paramore reached the mark in 2003 at Rio Pinar Country Club.
Brey also carded the lowest round in SSC Championship history, shooting a six-under (65) on April 25, 2017.
Round 1 Course Stats | In-Depth Tournament History