Mercer University
Southern Conference Championships
Men's Golf in Fifth After Opening Round of SoCon Championship
4/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
PINEHURST, N.C. – The Mercer University men's golf team recorded a score of 297 in its Southern Conference Championship debut, finishing fifth after the opening round of action at Pinehurst No. 9.
The Bears finished the opening round 9-over-par and will head into Monday trailing UNCG by three strokes. ETSU shot a first round 286 to pace the eight-team field, holding a three-shot advantage over second-place Wofford.
Jerry Ren, Trey Rule and Sean Smothers each posted a team-leading 1-over 73 in the event's first 18 holes of action, ending the day in a tie for 10th place overall.
Ren tallied a 1-under effort on the first nine holes en route to one of the day's top freshman performances, while Smothers set the stage for a strong outing with two of his team-leading five birdies to open the round. Rule, who claimed the individual title at the 2014 Atlantic Sun Championship, used a fast start as well to rank among the leaders early on, as he was 5-under through the first 13 holes before falling off the pace.
Emmanuel Kountakis (+6) and Jeffrey Heinicka, Jr. (+11) rounded out Mercer's lineup, finishing the day in 27th and 38th place respectively.
The tournament resumes Monday at 8 a.m. with UNCG, Mercer and Western Carolina going off of No. 1 at 10-minute intervals. Furman and Samford go off No. 10 at 8:20, followed by leaders ETSU, Wofford and Chattanooga at 8:50 off No. 1.
Click here for live scoring of the 2015 SoCon Championship's second round.
Players Mentioned
