The No. 1 ranked Emory men's golf team headed south this weekend to Sandestin, Florida to play in the Golfweek October Classic at the Raven Golf Club. The Eagles started off the event early Sunday morning and finished their first round with a team score of 276 (-8), putting them atop the leaderboard with a three-stroke lead over Illinois Wesleyan heading into the second round on Monday.
The Eagles' prowess on Par 4s this season continued Sunday, shooting three strokes under par as a team on such holes on Sunday. They also lead the tournament in birdies with 22, one more than Methodist University.
Senior Jackson Klutznick led the way for the Eagles on Day 1, shooting a 68 (-3). Klutznick tallied five birdies and just two bogeys in his first round. His only bogeys came on long Par 5s, both well over 500 yards. Klutznick heads into the second day tomorrow tied for fourth place individually and three shots off the lead.
On the heels of his individual win at the Tartan Invitational last week, junior Tony Li was once again incredibly consistent. He knocked in five birdies and 11 pars on the day. Li finished his day shooting a 69 (-2), putting him tied for seventh on the individual leaderboard.
Junior Josh Qian finished his round with a stellar back nine where he shot four under par to finish his day with a 69 (-2). Qian started the back nine with four straight birdies before registering a triple bogey on the 14th hole. Despite his struggles on 14, Qian made an eagle on a 297-yard Par 4 on the very next hole to limit the damage. He finished his round with seven birdies on top of the eagle. Entering Monday, Qian is tied for seventh individually and four strokes off the lead.
Junior Michael Burry had a solid round as well, finishing with a 70 (-1) to end his day tied for 17th. He was even on the front nine, with one birdy and a bogey, before rallying to shoot one under par on the back nine.
Freshman Kevin Mu made the trip south as well, finishing his day with a 74 (+3) to sit tied for 51st on the leaderboard. He shot one under par on the front nine with one birdy and eight pars. Mu picked up six more pars on the back nine on day one, but added two bogeys and a double bogey to bring his score to three over on the day.
The Eagles will resume play in Sandestin tomorrow, looking to build upon their lead over the field. Mu will get things started for the Eagles on Monday, teeing off at 8:20 AM. He is followed by Burry at 8:30 AM, Qian at 8:40 AM, Li at 8:50 AM, and Klutznick at 9:00 AM.