NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Defending champion Ole Miss holds a one-stroke lead over Mississippi State after day one of the 2007 Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate Sunday at the Vanderbilt Legends Club of Tennessee.
The Rebels shot an even-par 283 on the 7,100-yard, par-71 layout of Legends’ Roper’s Knob Course to lead the 18-team field. South Alabama, host Vanderbilt, and Louisville round out the top five after 18 holes of play.
Augusta State’s Jake Amos carded a four-under 67 to grab the individual lead. Amos leads South Alabama’s Jack Hiluta by one stroke. Six players, including Commodore Brett Lange and Rebels Jonathan Randolph and Jesse Speirs, stand in third place at two-under. A total of 20 players shot even-par or better for the day.
Lange, a senior from Atlanta, Ga., closed with birdies on 17 and 18 to get to two-under. Junior Jon Curran stands in a tie for 21st place after carding a one-over 72. Sophomores Chris Rockwell and Hudson Johnson also scored for the Commodores, each shooting two-over 73 for the round. Freshman Adam Hofmann shot a seven-over 78.
“Our guys held it together today in tough conditions,” VU Head Coach Tom Shaw said. “We weren’t at our best, but we played well enough to stay in the hunt. We look forward to making a move tomorrow to get up near the lead.”
Redshirt-freshman Craig Tallent, playing in his first collegiate event, led the Commodores’ “B” Team with a one-over 72.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament is scheduled to continue at 7:45 a.m. CT on Monday morning, with North Florida, MTSU and Mercer leaving from the 10th tee. UT-Chattanooga, Augusta State and Notre Dame will tee off at 8 a.m. on the first hole, with the leaders scheduled to go off at 9:40 a.m.
The 93-player field will play a final 18 holes on Tuesday.
Results from the event will be updated each evening on the official web site of Vanderbilt athletics, www.vucommodores.com.
