Grand Canyon University Leads PGA NCCGA National Spring Championship

Grand Canyon University (GCU) was the only team to hold its ground in the first round of the PGA National Collegiate Club Golf Association (NCCGA) Spring Championship, when more than 200 golfers battled wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour at WinStar Golf Club. Grand Canyon University ended the day at even par (360) and led the field by seven strokes. Texas A&M was in second place at 7-over, followed by High Point and Florida tied for third with a 12-over and Keiser, one shot back in fifth place at 13-over. Three GCU players finished under par. “I told the team they need to understand that everyone has to play in this wind, not just us,” Grand Canyon Club President and Coach Ryan Woodworth said. "We don’t see steady winds like this (in Phoenix), but it’s a mind set, and we just need to understand that we are all here in the same conditions.” Angelo Luciani of Grand Canyon and Logan Jaeger of Providence are tied for the individual lead at 4-under (68). Dillyn Schmidke and Lucas Hughes of Grand Canyon along with Cade Barone of Texas A&M each shot a 2-under and finished the day in a three-way tie for third place. “After I made an eagle on the second hole, it just felt like golf again and I had something to play with,” Luciani said. “My driver was working today. Anything off the tee where you can get yourself in play and have a confident shot into the green – that’s obviously a big part of taking the wind out and hitting it low.” Jaeger made only one bogey in his first round and credited some ‘course management’ for his successful day. “On every tee box, I would get a feel for the wind and try to hit a low tee shot. I just wanted to hit fairways and get myself in a good spot to attack the middle of the greens,” Jaeger said. “I had a hiccup on that second hole (his bogey), but other than that, I was able to recover, hit greens, and make pars and birdies. I just want to hit fairways and greens, be competitive and have fun.” The 36-hole stroke play competition will crown a national champion team as well as an individual medalist tomorrow (Sunday). The final round is scheduled with shotgun tee times at 7:30 a.m. on the Redbud Course and 8 a.m. on Scissortail. Team Leaders After Round One: 1. Grand Canyon, E (360) 2. Texas A&M, +7 (367) T3. High Point, +12 (372) T3. Florida, +12 (372) 5. Keiser, +13 (373) Individual Leaders After Round One: 1. Angelo Luciani, Grand Canyon, -4 (68) 2. Logan Jaeger, Providence, -4 (68) T3. Dillyn Schmidke, Grand Canyon, -2 (70) T3. Lucas Hughes, Grand Canyon, -2 (70) T3. Cade Barone, Texas A&M, -2 (70) The NCCGA is the national governing body for collegiate club golf and is operated by the PGA of America. It allows any full-time student not participating in a varsity golf program to play in a competitive setting. More than 200 colleges across the United States field club golf teams. Individual students can represent their schools if they don’t have the required five students to form a team. Currently, there are 26 NCCGA regions across the country, which are divided into five zones. Each region hosts two-to-three qualifiers for the National Championship each fall and spring semester. The top three teams in each zone, along with top individuals in the country, receive an automatic qualifier to the championship. All tournaments are co-ed and open to active college students of all skill levels. For the full National Spring Championship leaderboard, click here , and follow updates on Instagram .