What You Need to Know:
* Georgia State opened the Sun Belt Championship on Sunday with a 6-under 278 at The Raven Golf Club to lead Troy by six strokes.
* Four Panthers are among the top 15 in the field, led by Alex Herrmann who opened play with a 4-under 67 to stand in second place.
* A three-hour weather delay caused teams to not be able to complete Round 2 on Sunday. The Panthers are currently about midway through the round which will be completed Monday morning.
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla.– Georgia State overcame a three-hour morning weather delay to shoot a 6-under 278 and lead following the first round of the Sun Belt Championship on Sunday at The Raven Golf Club in Miramar Beach, Fla.
Junior Alex Herrmann opened play with a 4-under 67 to lead the Panthers who were midway thru the second round when play was suspended for the day because of darkness.
Georgia State, which is looking for its eighth conference title since 1998, held a six-stroke lead over Troy after the first round. The two teams faced each other in the match play final last season with the Trojans winning in extra holes.
“We got off to a good start today,” head coach Joe Inman said. “Our guys stayed focused throughout the weather delay and then finished the first round strong. We need to come out with the same mentality tomorrow as we try to finish up round two and play round three.”
After a birdie and nine pars on the front nine, Herrmann finished strong with four birdies over his final five holes to stand just one off the individual lead after round one. The junior did not miss a green in regulation in the first round.
Senior Nathan Mallonee opened play with a 3-under 68 to sit in a tie for third with 36 holes to play. He birdied two of his final four holes before starting his second 18 holes.
Sophomore Nick Budd shot an opening round 71 to stand tied for 8th at even par. He made four birdies in the first round. Fellow sophomore Nathan Williams shot a 1-over 72 to stand tied for 14th after round one.
Defending individual champion Max Herrmann struggled in the opening round, shooting a 10-over 81 to sit tied for 55th after day one.
Georgia State opened play with a six-stroke lead over Troy which sat at even par. Georgia Southern was in third at 1-over par, followed by South Alabama in fourth at 4-over. Sun Belt newcomer Coastal Carolina rounded out the top five at 6-over par.
Georgia Southern's Steven Fisk shot the low round of the day, a 5-under 66, to lead Alex Herrmann by one after the first round. Troy's Calum Masters, Georgia Southern's Jake Storey and Mallonee were tied for third at 3-under par.
Following the weather delay, the plan is for teams to finish round two and round three on Monday. The top four teams will then qualify for match play with No. 1 vs. No. 4 and No. 2 vs. No. 3 scheduled for Tuesday morning. The winners will advance to the championship match on Tuesday afternoon.
With a conference championship win, Georgia State will automatically earn a spot into NCAA Regional play which will be played May 15-17 at six national sites. Without a win, the Panthers will have to wait to see if they are selected as an at-large team. The NCAA championship is scheduled for May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
