NOTE: This tournament format has been changed because of impending inclement weather expected on Tuesday. The event will now be complete on Monday with two rounds played beginning at 7:15 a.m. The pairings for the second round will stay together and be played in the third round.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sensational freshman John Peterson fired an opening round score of 1-under 71 on Sunday to finish the day in a tie for ninth place and lead the LSU men’s golf team on the first day of the Seminole Intercollegiate at Golden Eagle Country Club.
Peterson, who finds himself tied for ninth place with nine other golfers, carded his lowest round since posting a 2-under par 70 in the second round of the Bridgestone Collegiate Championship at Forest Oaks Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., back on Oct. 29.
The native of Fort Worth, Texas, got off to a fast start with birdies on each of his first two holes, including the par-four first and par-four second. After making back-to-back bogeys on No. 7 and No. 8, Peterson made the turn at 1-under on his round following a birdie on the par-five ninth.
He dropped to 2-under on the afternoon with a birdie on the par-four 14th hole before making bogey on the par-five 15th to wrap up the day with a 1-under round of 70.
Peterson paced the Tigers into sole possession of ninth place after Sunday’s action as the squad recorded a team total of 5-over 293 on the afternoon. LSU is looking to improve upon its eighth-place finish in the Seminole Intercollegiate last year when it posted a team score of 23-over 887.
Fellow freshman Clayton Rotz carded a 1-over 73 in his spring debut as he is two shots back of Peterson in a tie for 25th place on the individual leaderboard. Sophomore Brent Blaum finished the day in a tie for 37th at 2-over 74, while sophomore Bryant Lach carded a 3-over 75 to tie for 45th and junior Jarrod Barsamian posted a 4-over 76 to finish in a tie for 49th.
The 11th-ranked Florida State Seminoles and SEC Western Division rival Ole Miss Rebels will carry a three-stroke lead into Monday’s second round after firing matching team totals of 3-under 285 on Sunday. Auburn and Virginia follow one shot back in a tie for third at 2-under 286.
Florida State’s Jonas Blixt and Virginia’s Steven Rojas currently hold a one-stroke lead over six golfers after matching one another shot for shot before finishing the day at 4-under 68.
The Tigers are paired with the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Monday’s second round and will tee off from the back nine beginning at 6:55 a.m. CT. Live scoring of the second and third rounds of the Seminole Intercollegiate are provided by Golfstat and can be found online by accessing the organization’s official website at www.golfstat.com.
SEMINOLE INTERCOLLEGIATE ? FIRST ROUND RESULTS
TEAM SCORES (Par 288)
t1. Ole Miss 285 -3; t1. Florida State 285 -3; t3. Auburn 286 -2; t3. Virginia 286 -2; 5. North Carolina 290 +2; t6. Louisville 291 +3; t6. UAB 291 +3; t6. Maryland 291 +3; 9. LSU 293 +5; 10. Mississippi State 294 +6; 11. College of Charleston 298 +10; 12. Vanderbilt 300 +12.
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 72)
t1. Jonas Blixt, Florida State, 68 -4; t1. Steven Rojas, Virginia, 68 -4; t3. Jon Curran, Vanderbilt, 70 -2; t3. Patton Kizzire, Auburn, 70 -2; t3. Matthew Savage, Florida State, 70 -2; t3. Donnie Shin, Maryland, 70 -2; t3. Zach Sucher, UAB, 70 -2; t3. Brendan Tracy, Maryland, 70 -2; t9. Jamie Bowen, Auburn, 71 -1; t9. Will Collins, Virginia, 71 -1; t9. Kyle Ellis, Ole Miss, 71 -1; t9. Noah Goldman, Mississippi State, 71 -1; t9. David Holzworth, North Carolina, 71 -1; t9. David Marino, Ole Miss, 71 -1; t9. Jay Moseley, Auburn, 71 -1; t9. John Peterson, LSU, 71 -1; t9. Jonathan Randolph, Ole Miss, 71 -1.
LSU SCORES
T9. John Peterson 71 -1
T25. Clayton Rotz 73 +1
T37. Brent Blaum 74 +2
T45. Bryant Lach 75 +3
T49. Jarrod Barsamian 76 +4