ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. – With Round 1 of the Centennial Conference championship in the books, the Ursinus College men's golf team finds itself in sixth place after carding a team score of 336 (+48) as the three-day event got underway Friday.
Sophomore Lamar Saxon led the way with a 6-over 78 for the Bears, who carded their best score in the first round of the championship tournament since 2011, when they tallied a 335.
When the dust settled and 35 golfers had completed 18 holes at The Bridges Golf Club, Swarthmore sat atop a crowded leaderboard with a 301. Two-time defending champion Franklin & Marshall was two strokes back in second, and McDaniel landed a single shot behind the Diplomats. Muhlenberg (314) was fourth, followed by Gettysburg (316), Ursinus, and Dickinson (342).
Muhlenberg's John Froberg was the leader in the clubhouse after firing a 1-over 73, with five golfers (two of them from F&M and two from McDaniel) sitting a stroke behind in second.
Saxon had a three double bogeys and a bogey in the first 10 holes, but came on strong down the stretch with birdies on the 11th and 17th holes, both par-4s. He was +1 on the back nine and finished with 11 pars on the afternoon.
Freshman Bennett Collins played well in his first taste of championship play, shooting an 83 to tie for 26th. Collins parred six of the final seven holes.
Sophomore Ryan Crawford finished with an 84, registering birdies on the 11th and 13th holes in addition to four pars over his last five holes.
Senior Matthew Holmes finished with a 91, including a birdie on the 534-yard 15th hole, and junior Anthony Barbine rounded out the Ursinus contingent with a 96.
Round 2 tees off at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.