Newberry Seventh, Lenoir-Rhyne Eighth in NCAA Southeast Regional Men's Golf Play
Catawba, Carson-Newman, Tusculum, Presbyterian individuals also competing
May 1, 2006

CONCORD, N.C. - The Newberry men's golf team posted a 147 on its first nine holes and sat in second at the turn to defending national champion USC Aiken, but struggled on holes one through nine to post an opening-round 308 at the NCAA Atlantic/Southeast Super Regional held at Rocky River Golf Club today.

Hunter Mengel (Stone Mountain, Ga.) fired a one-under on the front nine, and Brian Rush (Duncan, S.C.) was on par after nine holes. Rush finished tied for seventh with a Newberry-best two-over-par on day one. Billy Burrows (Bluffton, S.C.) also made the top 20 with a 15th place finish at +4.

"This is just the first day," head coach Brian McCants said, "and although I'd liked for us to have shot a 295, 308 is not something we can't overcome. The way teams are bunched between 300 and 305, if we can post a number between 290 and 295 tomorrow, we'll be in good shape for Wednesday. All we want is a chance to advance on Wednesday."

USC Aiken had the best team and individual score in the region on the opening day. Coker leads the Atlantic Region with a 295. The teams with the lowest score in each region and the remaining three lowest scores will advance to the national tournament. Newberry is six strokes off the final team who would advance if the tournament had ended today.

The Lenoir-Rhyne College men’s golf team is currently in eighth place in the Southeast Region after day one of the NCAA Division II Southeast/Atlantic Super Regional Monday at the Rocky River Golf Club in Concord, N.C.

L-R shot a 313 (+25) on the par-72, 6,970-yard course while USC Aiken finished with a 290 (+2) to take the lead and has three of the top four golfers in the tournament.Sophomore Jakin Fox (Statesville, N.C.) and junior Kyle Shevlin (Peru, Illinois) lead the Bears’ squad after carding a 76 (+4) and tying for 15th-place overall.

The second round of the 54-hole tournament continues on Tuesday.

Catawba College's Richard Lowe, one of five SAC players competing as individuals, is tied for fifth after the first round. Lowe shot a 1-over 73 and is just four strokes behind first-day leader Scott Brown of USC-Aiken.

Tusculum College senior Nick Kinzer fired an opening round 79 and is tied for 28th. TC teammate Chris Wynne carded an 83 and is tied for 40th after first day action.

Kinzer, a native of Chattanooga, Tenn., scored a triple-bogey six on his opening hole of the tournament, en route to a 43 on the front nine. The 2006 All-South Atlantic Conference First Team selection rebounded and birdied his 12th and 13th holes of the round to fire an even-par 36 on his inward nine.

Wynne, a sophomore from Johnson City, Tenn., posted a 44 on his outward nine, but the 2005 SAC All-Tournament honoree would answer scoring 39 on his final nine holes.

Four-time defending national champion USC Aiken boasts the top three individual competitors of the opening day, paced by first-round leader Scott Brown, who fired a three-under par 69.

Kinzer and Wynne, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament as individual competitors, will open second round play on Tuesday at the par 72, 6,970-yard layout. The regional will conclude on Wednesday with the final round of the 54-hole event.

Carson-Newman's Dane Fairfield is in 39th overall with an opening-round 81.

Presbyterian College junior Ben Karns shot an opening round 83 and is tied for 41st.

Karns, a native of Gaffney, S.C., scored a double-bogey seven on his third hole of the tournament, en route to a 39 on the front nine. On the second nine, Karns overcame a pair of double bogeys and four straight bogeys to birdie the final hole for a 44.

Karns, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament as individual competitors, will open second round play on Tuesday. The regional will conclude on Wednesday with the final round of the 54-hole event.

Mon. May 1, 2006 - Wed. May 3, 2006
Rocky River Golf Club at Concord, N.C.
Par: 72    Yardage: 6970

Fin Team                   Score
 1  South Carolina-Aiken    +2  290  
T2 Columbus State U.       +14  302  
T2 Georgia Coll & St. U    +14  302  
 4 USC Upstate             +16  304
 5  Armstrong Atlantic U   +17  305  
 6  UNC Pembroke           +18  306  
 7  Newberry College       +20  308  
 8  Lenoir-Rhyne College   +25  313 

Newberry College    +20 161 147 308
 T7 Brian Rush       +2  38  36  74  
T15 Billy Burrows    +4  39  37  76  
T25 Hunter Mengel    +6  43  35  78  
T35 Justin Chrisley  +8  41  39  80  
 45 Daniel Lee      +16  44  44  88