Kats with fast start, in fourth from Hawaii
10/30/2016 10:47:00 PM | Men's Golf
Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational • Oct. 30-Nov. 1
Princeville, Hawaii • Princeville Makai Golf Course • par-72, 7,223 yards
Team Leaderboard • Player Leaderboard • Round 2 Live Scoring
PRINCEVILLE, HI – Sam Houston State men's golf got off to a tremendous start during day one of the three-day Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational on Sunday, firing a one-under, 287 through the opening 18 holes to sit tied for fourth from the par-72, 7,223-yard Princeville Makai Course.
The Bearkats were led by Dominick Gennuso, who shot a 4-under, 68 to sit in a four-way tie for fourth. The sophomore is just three strokes behind East Tennessee State's Mateusz Gradecki (7-under, 65). The round is the lowest of Gennuso's young career.
Twenty-first ranked Mississippi leads the invite behind an 11-under, 277. Georgia Southern is currently in second (6-under, 282) and No. 24 Missouri (5-under, 283) is just four strokes up on the Bearkats and Louisiana (1-under, 287).
A trio of Sam Houston players finished the day as part of a 15-way tie for 29th. William Holcomb, Jesse Massengale and Andrew Ertel each shot a 1-over, 73. Massengale finished in the top 10 with 14 pars while helping his cause with an eagle on the 18th.
Teammate Jake McCrory rounded out action for Sam Houston taking an eight-way tie for 92nd with an opening-round 8-over, 80. As a team, the Bearkats were particularly dominant on the course's par-5s, shooting 7-under for the third-lowest among the 19-team field.
Sam Houston heads into Monday's second round ahead of a pair of top-50 teams including No. 22 Arizona State, who is in 10th at 6-over, 294, as well as No. 49 Colorado State, who follows in 11th at 8-over, 296. The Kats are one stroke up on Cal Poly and East Tennessee State (even-par, 288).
Monday's shotgun start will tee off at 8 a.m. local time (1 p.m. CT). Gennuso begins his day on the fourth hole while Massengale and Ertel start on the fifth. McCrory and Holcomb each start on the sixth. Live results are available through GolfStatResults.com.
QUOTEABLES
Head coach Brandt Kieschnick on opening round results …
“The guys, we got to have two practice rounds so we really got a good game plan on the course. We really stuck with it. I think we were middle of the pack in the middle and we played our last couple holes seven under. We just competed really well against a really good field.”
Head coach Brandt Kieschnick on performance of Dominick Gennuso…
“He's one of the hardest working guys on the team. He is really learning to compete in tournaments. What he did really well was he stuck to his game plan and played on the right side of the golf course. He played very maturity and is right there with a chance to win.”
