Longwood University Athletics

PINEHURST, N.C. – Brandon Weaver sits in sole possession of first place, as Longwood ranks in a tie for second after the opening round at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate.
 
Weaver's even-par 71 paces the field, as the graduate senior was the lone golfer in the 71 player field to to stay at even-par. As a team, Longwood sits just two strokes off first place after posting a score of 298 (+14) with three golfers in the top-30.
 
"Per usual at Pinehurst, the wind and a difficult set-up allowed the golf course to win today," said Longwood head coach Kevin Fillman. "Overall, I'm happy with how we hung in there and played hard all day.  We missed a few shots in places that we just cannot afford to miss them, but we did a pretty good job of plugging along to get what we could out of it. 
 
Weaver navigated the difficult course with two birdies and just two bogeys, as his consistent play led to 14 pars. He ended particularly strong, shooting a 34 (-1) on the back nine with eight pars and a birdie.
 
"It's obviously easy to say since he has the individual lead, but Brandon was terrific," added Fillman. "Even par was a fantastic score out there today.  He did a great job of keeping his ball in spots where he could play the next shot.  One mud ball cost him a shot or two, but, other than that, he was always in a position from which he could play."
 
Daniel George ended with a 74 (+3), picking up a birdie while not recording worse than a bogey on any hole in his opening round as he currently sits T-13. Freshman Nick Rakes, making his third-consecutive start to begin his collegiate career, joined George and Weaver in the top-30 with a 76 (+5), good for 29^th after 18 holes.
 
After struggling on the front nine, both Christian Michael and Brendan Dunphy rallied to strong finishes for the Lancers. Michael, who was named Big South Men's Golfer of the Week on Thursday, fired an even 35 on the back nine to end his day in 32^nd with a 77 (+6). Dunphy, making his first start of 2021, overcame two double-bogeys on the front nine to fire a 35 on the back nine with a pair of birdies end his round at 78 (+7).
 
"I think the fact that both Christian and Brendan held in there after tough starts is the reason we are in a good team position through one round," noted Fillman. "Both were on their way to a lot early on, but both showed the fight we needed from them to get to the house and give us a number to use."
 
Play at the Pinehurst Intercollegiate will continue on Saturday, March 13^th with all second rounds scores tracked live on golfstat.com.
 
Team Leaderboard
1. Belmont, 296 (+12)
T2. Longwood, 298 (+14)
T2. George Washington, 298 (+14)
T4. Old Dominion, 300 (+16)
T4. Dayton, 300 (+16)
6. Butler, 301 (+17)
7. Wofford College, 302 (+18)
8. Albiene Christian, 303 (+19)
T9. Elon, 305 (+21)
T9. DePaul, 305 (+21)
11. Xavier, 306 (+22)
12. Marshall, 310 (+26)
 
Longwood Results
1. Brandon Weaver, 71 (E)
T13. Daniel George, 74 (+3)
T29. Nick Rakes, 76 (+5)
T32. Christian Michael, 77 (+6)
T42. Brendan Dunphy, 78 (+7)
 
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