PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Charleston Southern junior Jacques Wilson fired an opening round score of even-par 70 to highlight the first day of action at the Sea Best Invitational. CSU is 13th in a very strong 15-team field following two rounds at the TPC Sawgrass Dye's Valley Course. Final round play will take place Tuesday morning.
Wilson (T-42nd) and classmate Jake Ezell (T-47th) are both among the top-50 in a group that features No. 2 Florida and No. 13 North Carolina. The Gators (-8 – 552) hold a one-stroke lead over the Tar Heels through 36 holes. Florida's Ryan Orr (67-66) turned in back-to-back impressive rounds to take the individual lead into Tuesday. UF teammates Gordon Neale and Alejandro Tosti are tied for second at 4-under par.
CSU followed a team score of 298 (+18) with an afternoon tally of 301 (+21) and will look to play more consistent golf tomorrow, with action slated to begin at 8 a.m. The Bucs are 11 strokes back of SMU and East Carolina clubs tied for 11th place.
Wilson was in the top-ten at one point of the morning and wrapped up the first holes in a tie for 17th. He posted a steady back nine, with eight pars, and rolled home birdies at the par-5 first hole, par-3 fifth and par- 4 seventh. The Kansas transfer was still at level par through eight holes of his second round but had a triple bogey 7 at number four send the latter part of the day awry.
Ezell recorded consecutive four-over par 74's. Senior Austin James, meanwhile, is T-62nd at +10 150. James also tallied a 74 in the first round before following with a 76 in the afternoon. David Eller and Dylan Patscot were the other competitors for Director of Golf Todd Selders' squad. Eller had four birdies and was two-under on his front nine in the afternoon.
