MELBOURNE, Fla. - The James Madison men's golf team came out of the first round of the 2012 Wolfpack Spring Open in a tie for sixth, April 14. Hosted by NC State, the two-day, 36-hole tournament is being played at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State (Par 72 - 7,358 yards) in Raleigh, N.C.
Starting on No. 10, the Dukes posted a 16-over 304 in the first round, tied with No. 46 Middle Tennessee State for sixth. Lamar is the opening round leader after a 4-over 292, two shots better than NC State and No. 31 East Carolina in a tie for second at 6-over 294. Louisville is one shot back at 7-over 295, with Loyola (Md.) rounding out the top five at 11-over 299.
Senior Chad Mozingo (Culpeper, Va./Culpeper County) led the Dukes in a tie for eighth with a 1-over 73, posting two birdies and three bogeys on the day. Junior Rich Leeper (Chapel Hill, N.C./Carrboro) rallied on the back nine with a 2-under 34 and is tied for 21st at 3-over 75, while senior Chris Wellde (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) is one shot back at 4-over 76 in a tie for 27th. Sophomore Ben Firebaugh (Roanoke, Va./William Byrd (Newberry)) shot an 8-over 80 and is tied for 64th, while senior Mike Smith (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla./Nease) posted a 10-over 82 and is tied for 80th.
Madison will go off No. 1 tee, starting at 8 a.m. and playing with Troy and Francis Marion.
