Eagles face challenging field during day one of South/Southeast Regional
POOLER, Ga. – Carson-Newman finished day one of the 2014 South/Southeast Regional in 20th at the Savannah Quarters Country Club in Pooler, Ga. A stacked field featuring 13 nationally-ranked squads saw 11 teams shoot 300 or better.
Carson-Newman is nine strokes back of 19th place Limestone and 13 back of conference-mate Queens, which sits in 18th place.
The Eagles have much ground to make up. On the line are seven spots, out of the 20 teams competing, for the NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championships in Allendale, Mich., on May 19-23. The loaded field for the South/Southeast Regional includes top-ranked and defending national champion Barry University.
Also in the field are Peach Belt Conference champion and No. 2-ranked USC Aiken, No. 4-ranked Lynn University, No. 6-ranked Nova Southeastern, the host and No. 8-ranked Armstrong Atlantic and No. 10-ranked West Florida, meaning that six of the Top 10 teams in the nation are in one regional.
No. 11-ranked North Alabama, No. 13-ranked Columbus State, No. 15-ranked Flagler, No. 16-ranked Georgia College, No. 17-ranked Florida Tech, No. 20-ranked Saint Leo and No. 24-ranked Florida Southern round out the other nationally-ranked teams in the field.
The top seven teams regardless of region and the top four individuals on teams not advancing will earn spots into the field in Michigan on May 19-23. Proving the region's mettle, 18 of the last 20 NCAA Division II men's golf champions have come from either the South or the Southeast Regional, including 2013 national champion Barry and 2012 national champion Nova Southeastern.
Rafael Jackson (Rutledge, Tenn.) paced the Eagles on day one with a 79 (+7). Jonathan Kim-Moss (Mississauga, Canada) followed behind him with an 80. Corey Bray opened up with an 81.
Carson-Newman last competed in the regional in 2012, finishing 15th while Gavin Hay took home an 11th place finish as an individual.
The Eagles return to the links Tuesday with a 1 p.m. tee time. Visit cneagles.com to find more information on live scoring.
20 Carson-Newman 323 323
T77 Rafael Jackson (2) 79 79
T86 Jonathan Kim-Moss (1) 80 80
T93 Corey Bray (4) 81 81
T100 Dalton Reese (5) 83 83
107 Nicklaus Kennedy (3) 91 91
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