May 1, 2016
Manuel Elvira
LECANTO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) -- The Knights turned in a solid effort in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship, being played at Black Diamond Ranch on the Quarry Course. UCF was led by sophomore Manuel Elvira.
The Knights are in fourth place and just eight strokes off the pace of USF, which was 3-under for the day. East Carolina is second at -1. Houston sits in third at 2-over par, while the Knights are 5-over.
Elvira was one of just nine golfers in the field to post scores under par on Sunday. Elvira was on fire on the front nine. After a bogey on No. 4, he rattled off three straight birdies to move to 2-under. After a par on No. 8, he birdied No. 9 to make the turn at 3-under. Bogeys on three of the first four holes on the back nine pushed him back to even. But a birdie on No. 14 allowed him to get back under par for the day.
Freshman Donnie Trosper played well also. He was 2-over after the front nine. A double bogey on the 12th pushed him to 4-over. But Trosper finished strong. He birdied the Par 5 14th and carded an eagle on the Par 5 No. 18. He turned in a 1-over 73 and is tied for 12th.
Juuso Kahlos (+2) and Andrew Arft (+3) rounded out the scores that factored into the Knights' team total for the day. Thomas Le Berre +6 was also in the UCF lineup.
Monday's second round gets under way at 8 a.m. The Knights will be paired with fifth-place Memphis and sixth-place Cincinnati. Live scoring is available by clicking here.