Texas Grabs Round 1 Regional Lead as Seeds Hold Early at Sagamore

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- The seeds held on day one of the NCAA Men's Golf Noblesville Regional hosted by Ball State and The Hamilton County Sports Authority.

The top five seeds entering the tournament occupied the top five spots on the leaderboard after a wet Monday at The Sagamore Club. Rains persisted through nearly the entire round, but play never had to be stopped after a one-hour delay to begin the day.

Fifth-ranked Texas, the No. 1 seed, led by double digits deep into the round. Despite dropping some shots on Sagamore's challenging finishing stretch, the Longhorns still finished the day three shots clear of the 13-team field at 6 under par.

Tennessee, North Florida and North Carolina – all seeded between two and four – posted matching totals of 3 under par to finish the day tied for second. No. 5 seed Louisville is six strokes back at even par, just two shots clear of UNCW for the all-important fifth spot.

The top five teams at the conclusion of this week's 54-hole regional will advance to the national championships later this month at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Texas has been led this season by Walker Cup team members Cole Hammer and Pierceson Coody, both of whom played in last week's AT&T Byron Nelson, the annual PGA Tour stop outside Dallas. They were both good Monday, shooting 1 and 2 under par, respectively, but it was sophomore Travis Vick who led the way, not only for his team but the entire field.

Vick, another decorated Longhorn, had five birdies and an eagle on his card, reaching as low as 6 under par before finishing the day with a 4-under 68 that left him looking down at the rest of the field.

North Florida's Nick Infanti and Louisville's Max Kennedy are tied for second after rounds of 69. A total of 25 players finished the day even par or better. Ten of those players are ranked among the top 100 in the country, including fourth-ranked Coody and sixth-ranked Peter Fountain, the ACC champion from North Carolina.

Purdue's Joe Weiler, who earned an at-large spot as an individual, is two shots off the lead after an opening 70. He had the best day among the 10 players selected to compete as individuals. His Purdue teammate Cole Bradley, also selected as an individual, shot even-par 72.

At the end of the event, the lowest individual not associated with an advancing team will earn a berth in the national championships.

The second of the Noblesville Regional's three rounds will be played Tuesday with a split tee start. The first tee times are set for 8 a.m.

Texas Grabs Round 1 Regional Lead as Seeds Hold Early at Sagamore

Related Videos