PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Walker Franklin’s 2-over-par scorecard paced UTSA in the opening round of The Hayt, which got underway Saturday at Sawgrass Country Club (par 72/7,092 yards).
Franklin carded a 74 and has a share of 38th place, while the Roadrunners are in 14th after posting a 307. UTSA is four shots ahead of Navy and just two strokes behind Coastal Carolina with 36 holes left to play.
Starting his day on No. 10, Franklin bounced back from a bogey with five pars in a row before logging his first birdie of the day, a three on the 381-yard 16th hole. The senior from Colorado also had birdies on the 412-yard, par-4 second and the 544-yard, par-5 eighth.
Logan Zurn carded a 75 that was highlighted by a pair of birdies on a three-hole stretch on the back nine. The junior out of Grapevine, Texas, is tied for 48th.
A trio of Roadrunners all registered a 79 and are part of a tie for 72nd. Logan Vargas wrote down two birdies and an eagle on No. 8, Kaelen Dulany had a pair of circled numbers and Jack Wehman posted a birdie on the eighth.
No. 18 Alabama (-9) leads the team standings that includes 10 nationally ranked squads. No. 18 Duke is second (-5), followed by No. 14 South Carolina (-2) and ninth-ranked Virginia (-2).
Alabama’s Jonathan Griz, who is ranked 47th nationally, has the individual lead after turning in a 5-under 67.
The second round is set for a 7 a.m. Central time shotgun start on Sunday.
-UTSA-