VICTOR, N.Y. – The Carleton College men's golf program, competing in its first ever trip to the NCAA Championships, finished the first round in a tie for second place out of 43 teams after posting a team score of 294 (+6). The Knights, playing at Cobblestone Creek Country Club, got off to an outstanding start in the first day of competition and are only four strokes off the pace.
 
"We were not sure what to expect in our first trip to the national tournament, and the team came out and played a great round of golf today," said Carleton head coach Sloan Wallgren. "I'm so proud of the entire team for their focus and determination today. We need to go out and perform again tomorrow to make the cut. There are so many talented teams here; you cannot take a hole off."
 
Senior Ryan Choi carded a two-under par 70 and is tied for fifth place overall. Choi totaled four birdies on the day, tied for fourth-most in the 225-player field.
 
Sam Higaki started off strong with seven pars and two birdies on the front nine and finished the day with a 73 (+1). The sophomore is in a tie for 17th place overall and was tied for the third-most pars on day one with a total of 14.
 
Gordon Walker finished strong shooting one-under on the back nine on his way to a 74 (+2) and a tie for 31st. The junior had a total of four birdies on the day.
 
Sophomore Justin Rodriguez rounded out the scoring for the Knights at 77 (+5). After a slow start saw him play the first five holes at six-over par, he battled back and was one-under par spanning his final 13 holes of the day.
 
First-year Gareth Birney shot an 84 (+12) in the opening round.
 
Up Next for the Knights
The Knights will begin Wednesday's second round at 8:00am (EST) at Midvale Country Club in Penfield, NY. After 36 holes of competition, the field will be cut to the top 18 teams and top six individuals not on one of those teams. The four-day tournament runs through Friday.