May 29, 2012
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's golf team excelled during the first round of the NCAA Championship Tuesday at the Riviera Country Club as the Knights are tied for sixth after 18 holes. The No. 20 Knights, who are one of 30 squads competing in the championship, carded a 290 (+6) to open the tournament.
The event will continue Wednesday with the second round. Following Thursday's third round, the top eight teams will advance to match play. The championship will be decided on June. 3.
The Knights are tied with No. 25 Iowa, No. 19 Florida State, No. 11 North Florida and top-ranked Texas entering the second round. No. 2 Alabama leads the field at 285 (+1), followed by No. 18 Florida and No. 4 Auburn, who are tied for second at 4-over 288. No. 5 UCLA and Oklahoma are one shot ahead of UCF at 289 (+5).
"This is a championship event, and a championship golf course. We handled it very well," UCF head coach Bryce Wallor said. "We've played in so many quality events and have had so many big situations, we are very comfortable here. This is an amazing course, from the appearance to the difficulty. We did a wonderful job with it."
On Tuesday, the Knights were led by Greg Eason. The sophomore carded a 71 (E) and is tied for 13th. He is one of three UCF golfers in the top 30 after 18 holes, joining Ricardo Gouveia and Jose Joia. The sophomores both carded 1-over 72s and are tied for 27th. Brad Schneider, who is playing in his second NCAA Championship, recorded a 4-over 75 and is tied for 81st.
UCF is competing in the NCAA Championship for the fifth time in program history. The Knights last participated in the event in 2009, tying for 10th.
The Knights had an early start Tuesday. UCF began the championship at 7:20 a.m. local time. Anton Arboleda of UCLA is atop the individual leaderboard after posting a 4-under 67.
UCF will tee off Wednesday at 12:40 p.m. local time, and will be paired with Georgia and Iowa. Live statistics for the event are available at NCAA.com.
Team Leaders
1. Alabama 285 (+1)
T2. Florida 288 (+4)
T2. Auburn 288 (+4)
T4. UCLA 289 (+5)
T4. Oklahoma 289 (+5)
T6. UCF 290 (+6)
T6. Iowa 290 (+6)
T6. Florida State 290 (+6)
T6. North Florida 290 (+6)
T6. Texas 290 (+6)
UCF Golfers
T13. Greg Eason 71 (E)
T27. Ricardo Gouveia 72 (+1)
T27. Jose Joia 72 (+1)
T81. Brad Schneider 75 (+4)
T146. Kyle Wilshire 80 (+9)