May 20, 2010
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
SANTEE, Calif. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's golf team had a strong first round Thursday at the NCAA Regionals at the Carlton Oaks Golf Club and is just one shot behind the four teams who are tied for first. UCF posted a 7-over 295 during the opening round.
Top-ranked Oregon, 12th-ranked UNLV, 24th-ranked Tennessee and California are all tied for first at 294 (+6). The Knights are one shot ahead of New Mexico State. The Aggies are sixth at 8-over 296.
Play at the three-round, three-day tournament will resume Friday morning. UCF will tee off at 11:20 a.m. Eastern along with UNLV and New Mexico State. The top five squads at the regional will advance to the NCAA Championship, which will be held in Chattanooga, Tenn., in early June.
Four Knights are in the top-25 individually led by sophomore Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.). He is tied for seventh after carding a 72 (E). Senior Simon Ward (County Monaghan, Ireland) is tied for 12th at 1-over 73.
Both senior Devin Spies (Sarasota, Fla.) and sophomore Connor Arendell (Cape Coral, Fla.) carded 3-over 75s and are tied for 25th. Also in action for UCF is junior Nuno Henriques (Funchal, Portugal), who is tied for 40th (76, +4).
The Knights are participating in the regionals for the fourth-straight time. The squad earned a spot in the postseason by claiming its second-consecutive Conference USA Championship last month.
UNLV's Eddie Olson is first individually after posting a 68 (-4). A total of 75 players and 13 squads are in action at the tournament.
Live statistics for the tournament are available at Golfstat.com.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Team Leaders
T1. Oregon 294 (+6)
T1. California 294 (+6)
T1. Tennessee 294 (+6)
T1. UNLV 294 (+6)
5. UCF 295 (+7)
UCF Individuals
T7. Brad Schneider 72 (E)
T12. Simon Ward 73 (+1)
T25. Connor Arendell 75 (+3)
T25. Devin Spies 75 (+3)
T40. Nuno Henriques 76 (+4)