TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Junior golfer Tyler Gentilella fired a 3-under-par 69 Friday in the opening round of the Seminole Intercollegiate, as the Illinois State men's golf team had three golfers in the top-20 on the individual leaderboard at the par-72, 7,172-yard SouthWood Golf Club. The Redbirds are tied for sixth place, carding a 3-under-par 285 at the three-day tournament and finished ahead of five nationally-ranked teams.
Gentilella sits tied for sixth place on the individual leaderboard, after shooting three birdies and an eagle on a par-5. Senior Jordan Fahel and freshman Jason Marrs both shot a 1-under-par 71 and are tied for 20th place on the individual leaderboard. Fahel carded two birdies, while Marrs had three in the first round.
"We got a great team effort today with Tyler's 69 and under-par scores from Jordan and Jason, and we are right in the mix with some of the top teams in the country," head coach Ray Kralis said. "There is still a long way to go with two rounds remaining. So, while we will enjoy this, we need to be ready to go Saturday morning. With the strength of this field, you can't let off the gas, and we have to stay mentally tough and in the moment. The team proved it can compete with the best, and I believe they are ready for the challenge ahead."
Rounding out the Redbird lineup were freshman Zach Burry and junior Josh Edison, who shot a 74 and 78, respectively, in the first round of play.
Illinois State is tied with No. 8 South Carolina on the team leaderboard, while No. 50 East Tennessee State leads the field with a 12-under-par 276. No. 43 Louisville (281) is in second place and has a one-stroke advantage over the third place Mercer (282). No. 2 Florida State and James Madison are tied for fourth with a first-round score of 284.
ISU returns to the course for the second round of play Saturday with a 7:30 a.m. (CST) tee time and looks to move up the leaderboard. Live scoring is available on www.golfstat.com.
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