SANDESTIN, Fla. – Peter Staalbo and Yannick Schütz each recorded a score of 73 on Sunday to lead the University of South Alabama men's golf team on the opening day of the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship.

The Jaguars are tied for second out of 12 schools with UTA in the team standings at the end of 18 holes with a 295 total, one stroke behind Coastal Carolina after the duo concluded the round in a tie for 13th place individually.  All five members of the South lineup are among the top 25 in the individual standings as Brooks Rabren contributed a 74, Rasmus Karlsson shot a 75 and Jason Mendel finished with a 76 at the Sandestin Golf Resort Raven Course.

Tripp Summerlin of Appalachian State, ULM's Joao Girao Alvaro Carol Estrems from Texas State — the only individuals in a field of 60 players below par — shared the first-round lead after each of the three carded a 1-under-par 70.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (host): Sun Belt Conference Championship (Sun Belt Conference)
Date: 4/22
Course: Sandestin Golf Resort Raven Course (par 71, 6,802 yds)
Live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=15096

TEAM SCORES
1) Coastal Carolina 294 (+10); T2) South Alabama 295; T2) UTA 295; 4) Texas State 296; T5) Troy 298; T5) Georgia Southern 298; T7) ULM 300; T7) Appalachian State 300; 9) Georgia State 305; 10) Louisiana 312; 11) Arkansas State 313; 12) Little Rock 318.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
T1) Tripp Summerlin, APP 70 (-1); T1) Joao Girao, ULM 70; T1) Alvaro Carol Estrems, TXST 70; T4) Severin Soller, GSU 71; T4) Jake Storey, GS 71; T4) Tanner Napier, ASU 70; T7) six individuals with 72.

SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
T13) Yannick Schütz 73 (+2); T13) Peter Staalbo 73; T19) Brooks Rabren 74; T22) Rasmus Karlsson 75; T25) Jason Mendel 76.

TEE SHOTS
-The top four teams at the end of 54 holes on Tuesday will advance to the match-play segment of the championship.
-The Jags were one of four teams to play the par-five holes under par in the first round, and they lead the field with a 4.22 average on the course's par fours.
-Schütz recorded the only eagle of the day with a three on the 587-yard third hole as he is one of five players 2-under par or better on par fives after the opening round.
-The sophomore had two of his three birdies on the front side of the course, making the turn at 2 under.
-Staalbo was 2-under-par on his back nine following birdies on Nos. 12 and 15.
-Mendel tied Schütz and Staalbo for the team lead with three birdies in the opening round, with two of those coming on consecutive holes after making the turn.
-Actually, four of the five individuals in the USA lineup played the back side of the course better than the front including Karlsson, who had both his birdies come following the turn.
-Both of Rabren's birdies came on par threes — the 148-yard fourth and No. 12, playing at 130 yards — as he is among the top 10 individuals in the field with an even-par total on those holes.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On South Alabama's first round of the Sun Belt Championship: "From the first tee shot there were up to 20 mile-per-hour gusts of wind.  It was a very difficult day, you knew the golf course would play hard; it's a challenging golf course anyway, but add the wind and it became a game of patience where a lot of times par was a good score.  I was pleased with the guys, they got off to a really solid start and played well all day for the most part with the exception of a couple of holes for each guy.  You can't win the tournament in the first round, but you certainly can put yourself in a hole and these guys didn't do that.  They stayed focused and are in a good position moving forward."
On goals for the second day of the event: "It's still a game of patience, choices and focus on the shot at hand for us.  I think everybody has a good game plan, the trick is to stay committed to that and continue to plod along.  You can make birdies out here, but if you fall asleep you can make a big number very quickly.  It's about picking and choosing at the right times, knowing when to take on certain risks.  The guys know that this is going to be a battle, that it is going to come down to the back nine on Tuesday and mentally being ready for that challenge."

Up next: Second-round action tees off from the first and 10th holes on Monday at 7:30 a.m. (CDT).

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.

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