NEWS
Wind plays huge factor in first round of PGA Minority Championship
Low scores were at a premium on Friday, as strong winds played a huge role in the opening round of the 25th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship presented by Brown Capital Management.
With winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour, only three players broke par on the Ryder and Wanamaker Courses at PGA Golf Club -- Texas Southern sophomore Dominique Worthern, Alabama State junior Scott Benson and North Carolina Central Braden Cox. Worthern and Benson shot a 2-under-par 70 while Cox shot a 71 on the Ryder Course.
"I am extremely happy with how I played today under these really tough conditions," said Worthern. "When the wind is howling, you have to concentrate on making good swings and having good tempo. I was able to do that for the most part today."
The University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas, holds a slim first-round lead in the women's division, leading Hampton (Va.) University by three strokes. Defending champion Bethune-Cookman University is in third place, 12 strokes off the pace.
The Broncs were led by Elena Arroyo of Sacramento, Calif., who fired an opening-round 76.
"Our whole team knows that they can go lower, but we are happy to be where we are after the first round of play in this great event," said Arroyo, a sophomore. "This team is my family away from home and we are playing for each other every time we go out."
Texas-Pan American and Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla., are tied for the Division I Men's lead following the opening round, three strokes ahead of Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.
Texas Pan-American sophomore Kevin Kirakossian led the Broncs with a 72 on the Ryder Course.
"I made a whole lot of pars out there today and it was pretty uneventful overall," said Kirakossian, playing in his second Championship. The highlight of Kirakossian's round came at the par-5 sixth hole, where he holed a 35-foot putt for an eagle.
In Division II, Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va., jumped out to a three-stroke lead over Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo.
"This is a huge tournament for us and we are happy to be sitting in first place in a very tough division," said Chris Wood, who led the Trojans with a 77. "We have to play better because there are too many good teams. We have to keep our cool."
Defending champion Morehouse College in Atlanta is in third place overall, four strokes back of Virginia State.
The Women's and Men's Independent Divisions, which annually showcases a talented group of international players, got off to a great start on Friday as well.
Men's defending champion and University of Central Florida senior Amit Odaiyar of Ocala, Fla., grabbed the early lead, while Airielle Dawson of Towson College and Cecilia Rezk of Northwood Univeristy lead in the women's division.
Odaiyar, a native of Bangledesh, used four birdies en route to a 72 on the Ryder Course, good for a three-stroke lead.
"It was a grind out there today with the wind howling the whole round," said Odaiyar, playing in his fourth Championship. "I know that I can go lower if the wind dies down a bit, and if not, I will continue to pick my spots and take advantage where I can."
The 25th edition of the championship features nearly 160 players representing 40 colleges and universities. The 54-hole championship concludes Sunday.
First-Round Scores:
Men's Team Division I
T1. Bethune-Cookman +12 300
Rafael Abad 76
Emmanuel Petrich 80
JaMichael Jones 77
Alexander Clapp 75
Matthew McKnight 72
T1. Texas-Pan America +12 300
Kevin Kirakossian 72
Santiago Bragado 75
Walker Barrett 82
Aaron Gonzalez 77
Jonathan Sloss 76
3. Texas Southern +15 303
Dominique Worthern 70
Michael Calvillo 85
Jason Barton 73
Andrew Hutchinson 75
Quinton Leonard 86
4. Tennessee State +19 307
Richard Gill 82
Ryan Smith 75
Andrew Warner 73
Ryan Pierson 82
Cameron Scitern 77
5. Alabama State +19 307
John Montgomery 77
Scott Benson 70
Corey Price 86
Joseph Morrison 83
Joseph Killebrew 77
6. Savannah State +20 308
Cedomir Ilic 77
Ryan Lassiter 75
Tripp Bragg 80
Pete Teifer NC
Andy Atkins 76
7. Maryland-Eastern Shore +22 310
Mike Veverka 76
Greg Raad 78
Kijontray McClay 84
Paul Cecil 75
Christopher Toney 81
8. Florida A&M +23 311
Wesley Yates 77
Shephard Archie III 74
Randon Holt 81
Elijah Jackson 85
Cody Sapp 79
9. North Carolina Central +28 316
Spencer Jones 81
Braden Cox 71
Andre Jones 78
Gavin Thompson 91
Walter Batts 86
10. Prairie View A&M +56 344
Michael Bradham 75
Joseph Daly 83
Stephen Faggard 92
Avery Campbell 94
William Brown 95
11. Alabama A&M +67 355
Bradley Story 75
Corey Battle 118
William Miller, III 95
Cody Calvert 90
Shea Balch 95
Men's Team Division II
1. Virginia State +27 315
Stephen Genchi 78
Stuart Larus 82
Brian Wood 77
Mike Swope 87
Rashad Hunt 78
2. Lincoln University +30 318
Steven Mallow 83
Kyle Brands 77
Jacob Sandbothe 78
Kyle Brennaman 80
Eric Kosmatka 83
3. Morehouse +31 319
Olajuwon Ajanaku 78
Bryan McElderry 83
Thaddaeus Hill 80
Earl Cooper 83
Bruce Cousin 78
4. Fayetteville State +34 322
William McClure 81
Antonio Mayo 96
Lincoln Jackson 77
Michael Wallace 91
John Cole 73
5. Winston-Salem State +40 328
Glendon Mabe 81
Zachary Sheets 79
James Draper 89
Devin Cherry 85
Jordan Lamb 83
6. Benedict +50 338
Anthony Wik 80
Jordan Buchannan 79
Eddie Smith, III 91
Miles Goldman 88
Women's Team Division
1. Texas-Pan American +26 310
Haley Hocott 77
Maria Camey 80
Samantha Garcia 81
Melinda Uriegas 77
Elena Arroyo 76
2. Hampton +28 312
Kayla Williams 73
Nicole West 79
Dionne West 79
Iman Ellis 81
Sydnee Mack 85
3. Bethune-Cookman +38 322
Kimberly Wong 74
Vanessa Adarme 77
Marie Bergelin 84
Miranda Rose 87
Maxine Gardner 90
4. South Carolina State +47 331
Honesty Biggers 81
Marina Terry 85
Tiana Jones 81
Cabriel Duren 84
Allison Brown 104
5. Lincoln +70 354
Kaitlyn Scwartze 83
Kimberly Whitworth 90
Shea Colley 83
Hannah Sprague 98
Men's Independent Division
Amit Odaiyar, Central Florida 72
Lawrence McKenzie, Livingstone 75
Dustin Bertrand, McNeese State 76
Ryan Cancino, New Mexico State 76
Christian Heavans, Georgetown 77
Juan Fernandez, Louisburg 77
Josh Boyd, Virginia State 78
Julio Galvan, Louisburg 78
Allen Kelley, New Mexico State 79
Bryan Odaiyar, Brevard 79
Ronnie Fultz, III, Hampden-Sydney 79
Michael Thornton, Livingstone 80
Christopher Davis, Hofstra 81
Curtis Fearrington, Hampton 81
Ralph Godbee, II, Paine 81
Jacob Mendez, CC of St. Joseph 83
Malcolm Parrish, Morehouse 83
Anthony Long, UMES 85
Javier Lopez, Hampton 85
Jarrell Parrish, Bethune-Cookman 86
Geoffrey Napper, Hampton 87
Michael Asbury, Winston-Salem State 88
Minsoo Soh, UMES 88
Ben Davis, CC of St. Joseph 90
Joseph Journey, UMES 92
Richard Sheppard, UMES 93
Ivan Monigan, Virginia State 98
Julavlis Teasley, Livingstone 103
Women's Independent Division
Airielle Dawson, Towson 75
Cecilia Rezk, Northwood 75
Valerie Kitamori, Pacific 77
Shanequa Valentine, Prairie View A&M 80
Peni Sajoto, Prairie View A&M 82
Emily Kwak, Towson 83
Ariel McNair, Xavier 84
Alexandria Killingsworth, Prairie View A&M 86
Christina Walker, CSUEB 86
Maria Stewart, Hampton 86
Whitney Young, Wheeling Jesuit 86
Annamae Adderley, UMES 88
Eugenie Adderley, UMES 89
Alexandra Uduk, UMES 90
Gabrielle Peete, South Carolina State 111