UA in second place after opening round

The University of Alabama men’s golf team is off to good start at the NCAA Division I Men’s Central Regional, being played on the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University.

Led by senior Mark Harrell’s 1-under 70, the Crimson Tide shot 8-over-par 292 today, putting it in second place, two strokes behind Wake Forest (+6). Oklahoma State is third at +9, ahead of Florida (+10). Harrell is tied for second and one shot off the individual lead.

Junior Matthew Swan is also on the individual leaderboard at even par, which has him tied for seventh. Junior Matt Hughes was +2, senior Michael Thompson bogeyed four of the last five holes to score +7, and senior Joseph Sykora was +8.

The three-round regional concludes Saturday. The top 10 teams and two individuals from teams that don’t make the cut will advance to the national championship (after the first round, Lamar and Ohio State were tied at ninth at +15). The team finals will be hosted by Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., May 28-31.

Alabama is the top-seeded team in the regional, and No. 3 overall for the NCAA championships. The Tide claimed its second Southeastern Conference Championship in school history on April 20, snapping the 29-year-drought since its last league golf title in 1979. Other tournament victories this season include the Carpet Capital Collegiate, the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate, the John Hayt Intercollegiate, the Puerto Rico Classic and the Schenkel E-Z-Go.