Methodist Leads After First Round of Tom O'Briant Memorial
Greensboro, N.C. (10/9/06) -- Three-time defending tournament champion Methodist shot a four-over-par 288 Monday and leads after the first of two rounds at the 19th annual Tom O'Briant Memorial Golf Tournament at the Greensboro Country Club Carlson Farm Course. Led by Nick and Matt Bova's matching scores of one-under-par 70, the Monarchs hold a nine-shot lead over second-place Huntingdon (297) and Oglethorpe (297). Christopher Newport (299) and Emory (299) sit 11 strokes off the pace in fourth place, followed by Duke's 'B' team (300) and Pfeiffer (304). Tourney host Guilford holds eighth place in the 17-team field after shooting 307.
Huntingdon's Alex Balog registered a round-high six birdies Monday, including four on the back nine, and leads the 90-student field with a four-under 67. Methodist's Bova brothers share second place, three strokes off Balog's pace. While Nick Bova birdied three of the first nine holes and made the turn with a two-under 34, Matt Bova blistered the back nine and birdied two of the last three holes for his 70. Hampden-Sydney's Bob Boykin and Oglethorpe's Danny Swanick share fourth place after firing 71 Monday. Swanick eagled the par-five 17th hole, one of the round's two eagles.
Methodist, which has won a record-tying three straight O'Briant team titles, placed three competitors in the top six. John Duckworth shot 72 for the Monarchs and shares sixth place with six others, including Emory rookie Raffi Simel . Trey Howell's 76 provided Methodist's fourth score.
This year's event features seven of NCAA Division III's top-25 teams, according to the October 5 Bridgestone/Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) poll, including all of the of the top-five squads. Five of Division III's last eight national champions are also in the field. In addition to top-ranked Methodist, third-ranked Guilford, fourth-ranked Emory and number-five Huntingdon make this one of Division III's top fall tournaments. Second-ranked Oglethorpe has finished second in four of the last five O'Briant Memorials. LaGrange is the nation's 10th-ranked team in the poll.
The teams are competing on the par-71, 6,942-yard layout in northwest Greensboro. Greensboro Country Club hosts this year's event while the usual site, the Cardinal Golf and Country Club, receives extensive renovations. Guilford hosted the same tournament from 1978-87 when it was called the Guilford College Invitational.