Junior Andrew DiBitetto had four birdies on his way to a -2, 68 in the first round of the NCAA Championships. |
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Charlotte Golf -1 after First Round at NCAA Championships
May 30, 2007
Williamsburg, Va. - The Charlotte 49ers completed their first round at the 2007 NCAA Championships at -1, 279 on the par 70 Golden Horseshoe Gold Course, Wednesday, good for sixth-place in the 30-team field. The 49ers were one of only six teams to break par in the opening round. Stanford holds the first round lead at -5, 275. 49er junior Andrew DiBitetto is tied for seventh, individually at two-under par.
The first day of activity was broken up into two sessions, with seeds 16-30 competing in the morning session and seeds 1-15 getting underway in the afternoon. As the first wave of teams completed their session, the 23rd-seeded 49ers stood in third place at -1, 279 behind Texas and Minnesota (-2, 278). Stanford (-5, 275), Coastal Carolina (-3, 277) and Florida (-2, 278) edged in front of the 49ers in the second session.
Still Charlotte stands in sixth place after day one, just four strokes off the lead and knowing full well that they did not play their best golf of the year.
"The mood in the van afterwards was that we left some shots out there today," said 49ers head coach Jamie Green. "I don't think the guys are jumping up and down and overjoyed (about being one of few teams under par). They know what they're capable of doing and there are a lot of holes and a lot of days still to go. They're looking to get back out there and getting after it again."
Charlotte was led by junior Andrew DiBitetto, who was recently named the Atlantic 10 Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year. DiBitetto shot a -2, 68 that included three birdies on the front nine for a score of -3, 32 at the turn and a birdie on 17. The A-10 individual runner-up was joined in red figures by senior Matt Mincer, who shot an opening round of -1, 69. Mincer also birdied 17 to move under par. Freshman Corey Nagy shot an even-par 70 and Jonas Enander Hedin added a +2, 72. Junior Trevor Murphy shot a +3, 73.
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"Andrew got off to a nice a start and Matt played solid the whole round. Corey was doing well until he hit it in the water on 16, but he recovered to birdie 17," said Green. "We've talked about depth alot with this team but its really balance. We usually have five guys who are in the round through the whole day. If you have that, your chances to do well in any tournament, improve. Fortunately, everybody on the team made birdies. They are out there. The guys know they're going to make some if they just stay patient."
Live scoring for the event is available at golfstat.com. The 49ers will play in tomorrow's afternoon wave. Golfweek is also providing coverage, including live video of the 18th hole for the final two rounds.
