St, Helena Island, S.C. – The Towson University men's golf team finished day one of the 2023 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship in eighth place after logging 19-over, 307 in Sunday's first round at Dataw Island Golf Club. The Tigers currently have the fourth highest number of pars in the tournament, making a combined 54 across 18 holes of play.

Drexel finished the opening round in first place as the only team currently under par. The Dragons shot 3-under 285 - four strokes ahead of second place UNCW. 

How it Happened
Jeremy Summerson and Brad Riley were Towson's top finishers, finishing with rounds of 76 (+4). The highlight of Summerson's round was a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 17. Riley birdied the opening hole and finished the round with seven straight pars. 

Ryan Peters who replaced an injured Poonyapat Nantsupawat in the lineup, started strong with four pars and a birdie on No. 2. He finished with a 5-over 77. 

Justin Griffith was 1-under par after four holes with a pair of birdies but settled for a 6-over 78. Julian Gonzalez also shot an 78. His round included back-to-back birdies on No. 12-13. 

Quotes from Coach Mike Larkin 
"I think it feels like a missed opportunity, Scoring conditions were pretty good, weather was good, wind wasn't too difficult, the course was in good shape. It just feels like one of those days where everybody had a bad day at the wrong time," Larkin expressed.

"The guys had a good attitude and gave it everything they had, which kind of puts us behind the eight ball but doesn't mean we can't come out in these next couple days and have the opposite – everybody has a hot round at the same time."

Up Next
The second round of play takes place Monday beginning with Gonzalez, who tees off at 9:20 a.m - followed by Griffith (9:30), Peters (9:40), Riley (9:50) and Summerson (10:00). The three-day tournament concludes on Tuesday.