Friday, May 24
Fayetteville, AR
All Day
USC
vs
NCAA Championships First Round (Stroke Play)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Justin Suh was one of just 11 players to break par on Friday in the NCAA Championships first round.
Photo by: John McGillen
Justin Suh 71 Leads USC In NCAA Championships First Round
May 24, 2019 | Men's Golf, Features
Trojans tied for 12th after 18 holes.
Senior Justin Suh fired a 1-under 71 and freshman Charlie Reiter carded a 3-over 75 to lead the No. 9 USC men's golf team during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Championships on Friday (May 24) at the Blessings G.C. in Fayetteville, Ark.
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The Trojans, whose 11-year streak of playing at nationals ended last year, made their return official with a 16-over 304, tied for 12th in the 30-team field. Oklahoma State stood atop the leaderboard after 18 holes at 2-over 290 with Stanford second (291) and Auburn and California tied for third (292).
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The top 15 teams after 54 holes will advance to Monday's final round while the top eight teams after that will advance to the NCAA Championships match play bracket starting Tuesday. Although USC did not qualify for nationals last year, the Trojans did reach match play the previous three seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2015.
"Justin played a very solid round after a shaky start off the tee," USC head coach Chris Zambri said. "Charlie was playing great and stumbled at the end. I'm happy to see Charlie put together a super solid stretch of golf. This is a very long week. We would certainly like to be in a better position at this early stage, but there is plenty of time to make up some ground."
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Suh is tied for sixth after his 71, which is four off the lead. Starting on 10, Suh went out with an even first nine with a birdie on 13. He bogeyed 3 but countered with birdies on 5 and 8 to post his 28th round of par or better in 35 tries.
"It was a long day, super windy with tough conditions, but we just fought until the end," Suh said. "That's what this course requires and will so for the next few days."
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Reiter turned in a solid day and is tied for 36th. He went out at 1-under with birdies on 10 and 15 and was 2-under after a birdie on 3. He bogeyed 6 and a pair of doubles to close his round sent him over par.
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Sophomore Kaito Onishi and senior Sam Kim both posted 7-over 79s, tied for 105th in the 156-man field, while sophomore Issei Tanabe is tied for 140th at 10-over 82.
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USC will tee off Saturday in the morning wave, paired again with Duke and Georgia Tech. The trio begin at 5:45 a.m. PT.
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The Trojans, whose 11-year streak of playing at nationals ended last year, made their return official with a 16-over 304, tied for 12th in the 30-team field. Oklahoma State stood atop the leaderboard after 18 holes at 2-over 290 with Stanford second (291) and Auburn and California tied for third (292).
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The top 15 teams after 54 holes will advance to Monday's final round while the top eight teams after that will advance to the NCAA Championships match play bracket starting Tuesday. Although USC did not qualify for nationals last year, the Trojans did reach match play the previous three seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2015.
"Justin played a very solid round after a shaky start off the tee," USC head coach Chris Zambri said. "Charlie was playing great and stumbled at the end. I'm happy to see Charlie put together a super solid stretch of golf. This is a very long week. We would certainly like to be in a better position at this early stage, but there is plenty of time to make up some ground."
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Suh is tied for sixth after his 71, which is four off the lead. Starting on 10, Suh went out with an even first nine with a birdie on 13. He bogeyed 3 but countered with birdies on 5 and 8 to post his 28th round of par or better in 35 tries.
"It was a long day, super windy with tough conditions, but we just fought until the end," Suh said. "That's what this course requires and will so for the next few days."
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Reiter turned in a solid day and is tied for 36th. He went out at 1-under with birdies on 10 and 15 and was 2-under after a birdie on 3. He bogeyed 6 and a pair of doubles to close his round sent him over par.
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Sophomore Kaito Onishi and senior Sam Kim both posted 7-over 79s, tied for 105th in the 156-man field, while sophomore Issei Tanabe is tied for 140th at 10-over 82.
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USC will tee off Saturday in the morning wave, paired again with Duke and Georgia Tech. The trio begin at 5:45 a.m. PT.
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