March 14, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's golf team began the 2008 spring portion of its schedule on Friday with the first round of the Schenkel E-Z-GO Invitational at the Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Ga. The Spartans, ranked No. 15 by Golfweek/Sagarin, finished the first round in a tie for ninth with a seven-over 295.

Senior Ryan Brehm, the No. 4-ranked collegiate golfer in the country according to Golfweek, led the Spartans on Friday, firing a one-under 71 for a tie for 12th overall. Brehm had an up-and-down morning, mixing in four birdies and an eagle over his initial 18 holes.

Sophomore Jack Newman was close behind Brehm with an even-par 72. Newman, who is tied for 16th, began the day strong with four birdies over the first 12 holes to sit at two-under. However, he double-bogeyed the 13th hole and par the final five holes for his even-par opening round.

Junior Steve Cuzzort and freshman Graham Baillargeon are among a group in a tie for 57th at four-over 76. Cuzzort was even after his front nine, with a pair of birdies, but struggled on the back side. Meanwhile, Baillargeon had the opposite success. After a six-over front side, the freshman responded with two birdies and seven pars over the final nine.

Freshman Payne Gniewek was the last member of the MSU five, tying for 69th with a five-over 77. Gniewek played well most of the day, but three double-bogeys in the back side, including a pair on the final two holes, raised his final tally.

No. 8 Tennessee leads the field of 12 of the top 50 schools in the country, with an opening round six-under 282. No. 1 Alabama is second at three-under 285, followed closely by No. 20 South Carolina and No. 29 UAB, who both carded two-under 286.

There is a three-way tie for the individual lead at four-under 68, including South Carolina's Mark Anderson, LSU's Clayton Rotz and UAB's Zach Sucher. No. 2 ranked Michael Thompson of Alabama is among a group of three tied for fourth at three-under 69. The tournament features 15 of the top 50 players in the country, according to Golfweek.

Tomorrow's second round begins with 9 a.m. tee times off both the first and 10th holes.

Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com and tournament details can be found on the Georgia Southern athletic web site.