Paul Conroy and Sam Murphy produced a pair of fine opening efforts as the men’s NCAA Regionals teed off across America on Monday.
Enniscorthy’s Conroy helped The Chattanooga Mocs to the early lead at the NCAA Auburn Regionals after his one-under par 71.
Conroy sits tied sixth on the individual board with the Mocs five-under as a team and enjoying a two-shot lead over No. 24 Colorado State.
“Really proud of the guys,” Coach Blaine Woodruff said with the top-5 teams qualifying for Nationals after three rounds.
“This course is tough. I mean, it’s playing long and the greens are really firm. After the practice round yesterday, we felt like if we could make a bunch of pars, it’s gonna be a really good score. We actually made a lot more birdies than I thought we would, but they played with a sense of freedom and confidence, I think.
“Really proud of the first day, but we got we got a lot of golf left, so we gotta kind of wash this one off and get ready for tomorrow.”
Meanwhile Portumna’s Sam Murphy played a key role as Grand Canyon sit in T6 and just outside the qualifiers after round one of the Morgan Hill Regional.
Tied for 6️⃣th through round one of the NCAA Regional Tournament 🏌️♂️
Sam Murphy records 6️⃣ of the team’s 1️⃣7️⃣ birdies as GCU is well in contention at the Institute Golf Club #LopesUp pic.twitter.com/Il901BP32V
— GCU Men’s Golf (@GCU_MGolf) May 16, 2023
Murphy ended the day with six birdies, which tied for the second most in the 75-player field. His three-under par effort leaves him in a tie for fifth place on the individual table at Institute Golf Club where Royal Dublin’s Max Kennedy is also in action.
The Louisville man opened with an even par effort with the Cardinals alongside Grand Canyon in T6 on the team standings.
Meanwhile at the Bath Regional, Connemara’s Kansas State convert Luke O’Neill fired a three-under par 68 to sit just outside the top-10 individually.
The Wildcats are in eighth place among the 13-team field but only two shots out of fifth place as the top five teams in the regional advance to the NCAA Championship.
“I would say it was an okay round. We made quite a few birdies, but we had a couple of big numbers on par 5s that hurt us,” head coach Grant Robbins said.
“Other than that, I thought all five guys were pretty solid. I like where everyone’s game is right now. If we can just stay patient and make a few putts, I feel like we can make a big move tomorrow.”
- Find full scoring from all NCAA Regionals HERE
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