PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Walker Franklin’s 2-over-par scorecard paced UTSA in the opening round of The Hayt, which got underway Saturday at Sawgrass Country Club (par 72/7,092 yards).
Franklin carded a 74 and has a share of 38th place, while the Roadrunners are in 14th after posting a 307. UTSA is four shots ahead of American Athletic Conference foe Navy and just two strokes behind Coastal Carolina with 36 holes left to play.
Starting his day on No. 10, Franklin bounced back from a bogey with five pars in a row before logging his first birdie of the day, a three on the 381-yard 16th hole. The senior from Colorado also had birdies on the 412-yard, par-4 second and the 544-yard, par-5 eighth.
Logan Zurn carded a 75 that was highlighted by a pair of birdies on a three-hole stretch on the back nine. The junior out of Grapevine, Texas, is tied for 48th.
A trio of Roadrunners all registered a 79 and are part of a tie for 72nd. Logan Vargas wrote down two birdies and an eagle on No. 8, Kaelen Dulany had a pair of circled numbers and Jack Wehman posted a birdie on the eighth.
No. 18 Alabama (-9) leads the team standings that includes 10 nationally ranked squads. No. 18 Duke is second (-5), followed by No. 14 South Carolina (-2) and ninth-ranked Virginia (-2).
Alabama’s Jonathan Griz, who is ranked 47th nationally, has the individual lead after turning in a 5-under 67.
The second round is set for a 7 a.m. Central time shotgun start on Sunday.
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