EVANS, Ga. -- North Carolina carded a nine-under 279 Friday afternoon to take the opening-round lead in the Administaff Augusta State Invitational at Champions Retreat Golf Club.

The 17th-ranked Tar Heels got a pair of four-under 68’s from Reed Darsie and Robert Riesen to spark them to a three-stroke advantage over No. 11 Coastal Carolina. Tennessee is in third place at five-under 283, four shots off the UNC pace. South Carolina and Georgia State round out the top five at one-over 289 and two-over 290, respectively.

South Carolina freshman George Bryan IV fired a career-best, six-under 66 to set a new Champions Retreat course record and take a one-shot lead over Tennessee’s Jonathan Mount. The previous Champions’ course record of four-under 68 belonged to ASU freshman Carter Newman, a member of the club.

Coastal Carolina’s Dustin Johnson is part of a three-way tie for third at four-under 68 that includes UNC’s Darsie and Riesen. Tennessee’s Chris Paisley, Auburn’s Jamie Bowen and the Chanticleer duo of Dan Obremski and Zack Byrd make up a four-way tie for sixth at three-under 69.

Host Augusta State is in 14th place after opening with a nine-over 297. Senior Major Manning tallied an even-par 72 and is part of an 11-player logjam tied for 16. Fellow senior Wallace Booth, sophomore Tarik Can and freshman Mitch Krywulycz are tied for 52nd at 3-over 75, while junior Keith Guest turned in a six-over 78 and is tied for 76th.

The second round gets underway Saturday morning off the 10th tee (Island/Palmer nine) with Notre Dame, East Tennessee State and USC Aiken first out on the course at 8:00 a.m. North Florida, Georgia State and South Carolina are next out at 8:45 followed by Tennessee, Coastal Carolina and North Carolina at 9:30. North Carolina State, Clemson and Virginia Tech are slated for a 10:15 start, followed by Virginia, Augusta State and Minnesota at 11:00 and Georgia Southern, Houston and Auburn at 11:45.

For full-field results and live scoring of Saturday’s second round, visit www.golfstat.com. 

Admission is free and the tourney is open to the public.

Notes

Just nine shots separate the teams in fourth through 14th place … Coastal Carolina senior Dustin Johnson was making his own bid for a new Champions Retreat course record until a triple-bogey 8 on the 18th hole cost him a spot atop the leaderboard … A first-team All-American as a junior, Johnson instead signed for a four-under 68 and is part of a three-way tie for third … Prior to the miscue, Johnson had made seven birdies without a dropped shot … Clemson freshman Sam Saunders, the grandson of four-time Masters champion and Administaff spokesman Arnold Palmer, posted a six-over 78 and is tied for 76th place … Of the top eight teams on the leaderboard, seven are ranked among the top 43 in the nation in Golfstat.com’s latest rankings, including USC Aiken, the three-time defending national champion and No. 6-ranked team in Division II … Five of the seven hardest holes in the first round were on the Palmer (Island) nine, which served as the back nine Friday … The par-four, 489-yard 11th ranked as the toughest, followed by the par-four, 453-yard 13th and the par-three, 227-yard eighth hole … The three easiest holes in the opening round were on the back nine as well … The par-four, 328-yard 16th ranked as the easiest, playing at 0.26 under par … Coastal’s Johnson and South Carolina’s Bryan led the field with seven birdies each … There were three eagles among the 90 players, including two on the 542-yard, par-five 12th by Tennessee’s Charles Ford and Auburn’s Jay Moseley … North Florida’s JC Horne posted the other eagle, a two on the par-four 16th.

Related Stories/Links:

Field Strong For Administaff ASU Invitational (preview)
First Round Team Scores
First Round Individual Scores
First Round Team w/ Player Results
First Round Course Stats
Second Round Tee Times