KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - The 21st-ranked Georgia Southwestern golf team shot a 7-over par 295 on Monday to finish Day 1 of the season-opening 19-team Kiawah Island Invitational in eighth place. J.P. Griffin led the Hurricanes with a 2-under 70 to tie for sixth in the 95-player field.
Newcomer Matthew Whittaker finished three strokes behind Griffin on the 6,875 yard, par 72 Cougar Point Golf Course with a 1-over 73.
Southwestern sits 15 strokes behind 12th-ranked North Alabama and 14 shots back from No. 5 USC Aiken. UNA's 8-under 280 was four strokes better than the 284 GSW shot last fall to lead the 2011 tournament after the opening round.
Nate Gahman ended Day 1 with a 72 for GSW. Sophomores Andrew Ritchot (78) and Jungsun Lee (84) posted the final two scores for the Hurricanes.
GSW returns to the links on Tuesday at 10 a.m. for the final round in Kiawah Island.
2012 KIAWAH ISLAND INVITATIONAL - TEAM SCORES
| Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Total | ||
| (12) North Alabama |
280 | -8 | ||
| (5) USC Aiken | 281 | -7 | ||
| Erskine | 283 | -5 | ||
| (RV) Coker | 287 | -1 | ||
| (8) Georgia College |
291 | +3 | ||
| (RV) St. Thomas Aquinas |
291 | +3 | ||
| (RV) Newberry | 291 | +3 | ||
| (21) GSW | 295 | +7 | ||
| (RV) North Georgia |
298 | +10 | ||
| (23) Armstrong | 299 | +11 | ||
| Tusculum | 301 | +13 | ||
| (RV) Belmont Abbey |
301 | +13 | ||
| (RV) Carson-Newman | 304 | +16 | ||
| Lenoir Rhyne |
305 | +17 | ||
| Limestone | 306 | +18 | ||
| (22) Barton | 306 | +18 | ||
| Brevard | 310 | +22 | ||
| Mount Olive | 315 | +27 | ||
| Fairmont State | 319 | +31 | ||
| ( ) - NCAA Division II ranking in latest Golf World/Nike Golf Coaches Poll with RV = received votes | ||||
GSW SCORES
| Place | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | Total | ||
| T6 | J.P. Griffin | 70 | -2 | ||
| Matthew Whittaker |
73 | +1 | |||
| Nate Gahman | 74 | +2 | |||
| Andrew Ritchot |
78 | +6 | |||
| Jungsun Lee | 84 | +12 |