Sunday, March 05, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (March 5, 2006) - Junior Rhys Davies (Bridgend, Wales), sophomore Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) and freshman Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh, Scotland) each posted scores of 2-under-par 70, combining to lead the 11^th-ranked ETSU men's golf team to a first-place standing following first round play Sunday in the Seminole Intercollegiate at the Golden Eagle Country Club.

ETSU is currently one stroke better than second-place North Carolina, and four strokes better than third-place Coastal Carolina. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers' trio of Davies, Shaw and Findlay are presently tied for fifth on the individual leaderboard, four strokes back of Coastal Carolina's Dustin Johnson, who leads the event at 6-under after one day of play.

While Davies, Shaw and Findlay posted the best ETSU scores of the day, sophomore Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland) put together an impressive showing with an even-par 72 to tie for 16^th, while freshman Adam Hodkinson (Dore, England) is currently tied for 56^th with a 5-over 77.

Buccaneer head coach Fred Warren said Sunday's results are yet another example of his team's depth this season, especially after coming off a strong fifth-place showing in the historically tough field at the Puerto Rico Classic last week.

"We did it through depth again," Warren said of Sunday's finish. "Rhys hit 17 greens and played great, Gareth played well tee to green, and Jordan continued to do what he's been doing this spring. Cian had to scramble some tee to green, but his short game was really on. Playing well is one thing, but leading is another, and tomorrow we'll start out in a position we haven't been in a while. It's a good field and it's good to be at the top."

Second round play in the Seminole Intercollegiate will continue on Monday, with third round play scheduled for Tuesday. For complete results from the Seminole Intercollegiate, visit ETSUBucs.com at the end of each day's play.