Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – Jairus Gaines and Branden Nguyen are both tied for sixth after the first 18 holes of the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Both golfers shot six-over 78 in the first round of the tournament, played on the Stadium Course.  

"The golf course was tough. I thought Branden and Jairus played really nicely - shooting 78 around there in some windy conditions were both solid rounds." Towson head coach Mike Larkin said. "Julian struggled a bit but I expect him to get it back on track tomorrow."

Through the front-nine, Nguyen was tied for fourth place after shooting one birdie and five pars. He added one more birdie and four more pars on the back-nine after shooting a double bogey on the 13th hole to set him back.  

The freshman's 78 tied his career-low which he previously set at the Furman Invitational just six days prior.  

In his first collegiate tournament as a Tiger, Gaines is tied for first with among men's individuals with 11 pars. The junior out of Nottingham, Md. also shot one birdie on the 11th hole.  

"I'm excited for Jairus - I'm sure he's been itching to compete, and he was able to turn it around after a slow start to his round today," Larkin added. "He came off the course with a lot of energy and confidence in what he's doing after playing that well for the last 15 holes."

Julian Gonzalez carded 88.  

Khavish Varadan of UAB currently leads the pack of 19 golfers, shooting two-under 70. 

The Tigers will play the Valley Course tomorrow for the second round of the tournament. Nguyen is set to tee off at 9:02 a.m. while Gonzalez is set for 9:13 a.m. and Gaines at 9:24 a.m.

"The mindset going into tomorrow is the same - enjoy this great opportunity, stay in the moment and execute, and see what happens at the end of the day." Larkin said. 

TOURNAMENT DETAILS  
Host: PGA 
Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. 
Dates: May 3-5, 2021  
Courses: TPC Sawgrass – Stadium Course – 6,864 yards – Par 72 
                TPC Sawgrass – Valley Course – 6,842 yards – Par 72