SANDESTIN, Fla. – Guilford College’s golf team shot 306 in Sunday’s opening round of the Golfweek DIII Fall Invitational at the Raven Golf Course. The Quakers share 13th place in the 18-team field, 17 strokes behind leader Methodist University.
The 54-hole tournament previews of the courses used for the 2013 NCAA Division III Championships next May and features 16 teams ranked in the current Golf World/Nike Golf Division III Coaches’ Poll, including eight top-10 squads.
Guilford senior Noah Ratner carded a one-over-par 72 and sits in 12th place among 90 competitors. Teammate Drew Thompson shot a 74 and is in 26th place. Travis Tolbert (79), Nick Shedd (81) and Ben Pinkleton (84) rounded out the fifth-ranked Quakers’ scorers.
Andrew Bateman fired a one-under 70 for second-ranked Methodist and sits in a group of six players one stroke off the Individual lead. LaGrange College’s Cory Howard turned in the day’s low score (69), thanks to four birdies on his first nine holes. His Panthers are in second place, one stroke behind Methodist, and two shots ahead of the University of Texas-Tyler and St. John’s (Minn.) University.
The tournament continues with Monday’s second round, which will be played at the neighboring Baytowne Golf Club.