STILLWATER, Okla. (UCFKnights.com) - The first round of the NCAA National Championships came to a close at Karsten Creek Golf Club as the Knights finished the day with a 291 (+3). UCF rounded out Friday's round ahead of No. 17 Stanford, No. 25 Kentucky, No. 18 Arkansas, No. 26 UCLA, and No. 19 Arizona State. For the full list of results click here.
Senior Manuel Elvira paced the Knights with a 71 (-1) after a clutch birdie putt on his second to last hole of the day.
After a rain delay of over three hours, the Knights tee'd off on the back nine collecting eight birdies to gain momentum heading into the turn.
Juuso Kahlos and Elvira both started off the front nine with birdies on the first hole and Kahlos made it two in a row sinking a birdie putt after an impressive fairway shot to put himself in a good position. Kahlos finished the front nine one-under par and capped off the day even with a 72.
Bobby Bai also strung together back-to-back birdies on holes four and five for a 35 (-1) on the front nine after shooting two-over par on the back to end the day with a 73.
Junior Kyler Tate finished the day with a 75 with Tommy Cao just behind him with a 76.
The Knights continue to dominate the par five holes with an average score of 4.95 per par five going one-under today. UCF was among the top performers in total pars with 56 and birdies with 15.
NCAA National Championships - Karsten Creek - Par 72 - 7460 Yards
| Player | Rd 1 |
| Manuel Elvira | 71 |
| Juuso Kahlos | 72 |
| Bobby Bai | 73 |
| Kyler Tate | 75 |
| Tommy Cao | 76 |
| Totals | 291 (-3) |
The second round will commence Saturday afternoon as the Knights' first tee time is at 4:10 ET on hole one paired with Iowa State and Augusta.