Monday, April 18, 2011

BRASELTON, Ga. - Kennesaw State finished as the lone school under par to hold a five-stroke advantage following the first round of play at the 2011 Atlantic Sun Men's Golf Championship at the Chateau Course of Chateau Elan. The Spartans’ Matt Hopper holds the early advantage in the individual medalist race posting a five-under-par 66

The Owls combined to shoot a 4-under-par 280 to lead its closest competitors, USC Upstate, Campbell and UNF by five shots. The Owls’ duo of Jeff Karlsson and Matt Nagy helped guide the team to the 4-under-par afternoon. The two juniors, who have combined to win four A-Sun awards this season, combined to make nine birdies against only to birdies to place second and third, respectively amongst the individuals after 18 holes.

Hopper’s round included only one blemish as the sophomore tallied six birdies and one bogey to help lift the Spartans into the tie for second. On the back nine along, he picked up five birdies to close his round with a back-nine 4-under 31. His 5-under 66 score sets a USC Upstate 18-hole record for the A-Sun Championship. Karlsson also broke the school A-Sun Championship record, breaking the mark of 68 shot by Oliver West in the second round 2008.

A quartet of individuals share fourth place at 2-under-par. That group includes Alex Medinis of FGCU, Matt Moot of Campbell, Kevin Phelan of UNF and Daniel Smith of Belmont.

ETSU, the 2010 A-Sun champions finished round one in seventh shooting a (293, +9). Spencer Lawson shot the low round of the day for the Buccaneers as he finished the day in a four-way tie for eighth place at 1-under par.

Last year’s runner-up, FGCU, grabbed the lead late in first round, but bogeys down the stretch left the Eagles in fifth after posting a 2-over-par 286,

Round two begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesday with Jacksonville and Lipscomb teeing off first.

Follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts five of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.