NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

NO BIRDIES FOR JORDAN FINDLAY

IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP

 

Jordan Findlay had a six-over-par 78 to be sharing 143^rd place at the end of the first round of the NCAA Division 1 men’s championship over the Crosswater course at Sunriver, Oregon.

The 18-year-old past British boys’ open champion from Fraserburgh, playing in the final tournament of his first year at East Tennessee State University, had no birdies in his disappointing round.

Kyle Reifers (Wake Forest) leads the field of 156 of the best college golfers in the United States with a seven-under-par 65, one ahead of former British boys’ open champion Pablo Martin (Oklahoma State) and Taylor Wood (Southern California).

The scores of Findlay’s team-mates ranged from 68 to 74. Irishman Cian McNamara had his best round of the 2005-2006 season – a 68 – to be joint fifth overnight.

Adam Hodkinson from England was in joint 51^st place after a par 72 but ETSU’s star man, Walker Cup player Rhys Davies, another former British boys’ open champion in the field, would have been very disappointed to score a 74 for joint 83^rd place.

Englishman Stephen Lewton (North Carolina State) had a 70 to be joint 15^th.

Wake Forest (277) lead the team event by three shots from UCLA with Washington and Oklahoma State (281) in joint third place.

East Tennessee State (266) were back in 10^th place in a field of 30 teams.