The first round of the NCAA Men's 2010 Golf Championships has come to a close - frost delay and all. The results were somewhat unpredictable despite the country's fourth-ranked player, Tain Lee, carding the low round of the day (2-under 69) on the East Course and the country's fifth-ranked team, Skidmore College, posting the low team total of the day (7-over 295) on Hershey Links. Based on the scores, the teams and individuals who teed off early and those who played on the Hershey Links course enjoyed preferential scoring conditions.
In the team portion of the competition, the surprising performances came from a couple of heavily favored squads playing the East Course. The Methodist University Monarchs posted a disappointing 23-over 307 (12th), and the Huntingdon College Hawks posted an uncharacteristically high round of 25-over 309 (T-15th).
However, the round was not without its surprisingly solid team performances. The Centennial Conference's Franklin & Marshall College, which opened the tournament on the Hershey Links course, got off to a very solid start. F&M, which was ranked 73rd in the country according to Golfstat.com heading into the event, was lead by its number five player, Jeremy Rubin, who fired a one-under 71. F&M recorded a 10-over 298, which places them alone in second place. Similarly spectacular was Otterbein College's first round performance. The team heralding from the Ohio Athletic Conference entered the tournament as the 74th-ranked team in the country; nevertheless, the Cardinals are well-positioned heading into Wednesday's round after shooting a 12-over 300 - good for third place.
In the individual portion of the competition, the Division's fourth-ranked player heading into the tournament did not disappoint. Tain Lee, who finished in a tie for eighth place in last year's season-ending event, carded an impressive 2-under 69 on the East Course. After opening with birdies on four of his first six holes, Lee struggled a bit on holes seven through 15 (playing them at 3-over). Lee was able to recapture some of his magic on the par-3 16th, which he birdied to get him back to 2-under, which is where he finished. Following closely behind Lee is Franklin & Marshall College's Jeremy Rubin (one-under 71), and three others who posted rounds of even par.
Only two of the 12 individuals who posted the lowest rounds played the East Course. Tomorrow, the players will switch courses. As a result, look for the leaderboard to be mixed up quite a bit given the apparent difference in the courses' varied levels of difficulty.
Round One Team Leaders (Click Here for the full leaderboard)
1. Skidmore College +7 (Hershey Links)
2. Franklin & Marshall +10 (Hershey Links)
3. Otterbein College +12 (Hershey Links)
4. Greensboro College +13 (Hershey Links)
5. Guilford College +15 (Hershey Links)
Round One Individual Leaders (Click Here for the full leaderboard)
1. Tain Lee -2 (Claremont Mudd Scripps - East Course)
2. Jeremy Rubin -1 (Franklin & Marshall - Hershey Links)
T3. Scott Pugh Even (Oglethorpe Univ. - Hershey Links)
T3. Brendan Singleton (Skidmore College - Hershey Links)
T3. Andrew Townsend (Central College (IA) - Hershey Links)
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