KINGSTON SPRINGS, Tenn. — Chad Sewell fired an even-par round to lead the UTSA men's golf team on the opening day of the NCAA Kingston Springs Regional, which got underway Monday at the Golf Club of Tennessee.
Sewell carded a 71 to help the No. 9-seeded Roadrunners post a 10-over-par 294 on the 7,107-yard, par-71 layout in their NCAA postseason team debut.
UTSA is in 10th place in the team standings, five shots out of a tie for eighth between seven-seed Charlotte and No. 6 seed Virginia. The Roadrunners are three strokes in front of 11-seed Loyola (Md.), seven ahead of No. 12 UConn and 16 better than 13-seed Iona.
Sewell recorded four birdies en route to posting UTSA's low round of the day. The senior from Conroe opened the week with a birdie on the 433-yard, par-4 first hole and also circled his number on back-to-holes — the 421-yard, par-4 sixth and 526-yard, par-5 seventh, to help him go out with an even-par 36. Sewell was steady on the back with seven pars and a birdie on the 434-yard, par-4 15th as part of an even-par 35. The first-team all-conference performer is in a tie for 19th place with 36 holes left to play.
Hunter Bott birdied three of his first five holes and finished with a 2-over 73 for his opening-round scorecard. The sophomore from Montgomery had birdies on the first, third and fifth holes as part of a 1-under 35 on the front, and he is in a tie for 42nd place.
Collin Clark and Michael Rome turned in UTSA's other two counting scores on Monday with 4-over 75s, leaving them with a share of 53rd. Clark, a senior from Mansfield, had a pair of birdies on the back nine, while Rome, a junior out of Austin Westlake High School, birdied his first and second-to-last holes.
Christian Fanfelle rounds out the UTSA lineup in a tie for 74th (+13).
No. 2 seed NC State and 8-seed Kent State are tied for the day-1 lead at 7-under, followed closely by Houston and host Vanderbilt at 5-under in the 13-team field.
Vanderbilt's Reid Davenport shot a 6-under 65 to take the 18-hole lead in the 75-player field.
The second round is slated for Tuesday and the Roadrunners will tee off from No. 10 beginning at 8:55 a.m.
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