SOUTH KENT, Conn. (UCFKnights.com) -- Sophomore Donnie Trosper was red hot on a rainy day in Connecticut Monday.
Trosper fired a 7-under 65 in the first round of the Hartford Hawks Invitational at Bull's Bridge Golf Club. Trosper leads the tournament by two strokes after one round. Sam Houston State's Jake McCrory, Fairleigh Dickinson's Chris McCormack and Cal Poly's Court Lewis are tied for second at 5-under.
Freshman Bobby Bai also had a strong showing in Monday's first round. Bai was 2-under, turning in a 70. He is tied for eighth. Also among those who were under par in the first round was Kyler Tate, who is -1 after 18 holes and tied for 18th.
Tournament leader Cal Poly and the Knights, who sit in second place, accounted for eight of the 25 golfers who were under par on Monday.
In addition to Trosper, Bai and Tate, UCF's other score that counted toward Monday's team total was turned in by Ryan Stovash. The senior was 1-over. Joshua August rounded out the team lineup with a 3-over 75 and is tied for 55th. Playing as an individual, Andrew Arft is currently tied for 26th, after shooting an even par 72.
Cal Poly was 12-under after the first round, while UCF is three strokes back at -9. Seton Hall is three strokes behind the Knights in third, while Towson is the only other squad that is under par.
Tuesday's second round will be the final round of the tournament. Inclement weather Monday forced the tournament to be shortened from 54 to 36 holes. The teams were originally scheduled to play 36 holes Monday and 18 Tuesday.
