NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Southeastern Louisiana's Graham Benson fired a 3-over-par 74 as the Lions finished in a tie for 17th place after the first day of the 2007 Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate on Sunday at the Vanderbilt Legends Club of Tennessee.
Defending champion Ole Miss holds a one-stroke lead over Mississippi State after the first day of the 54-hole, three-day event.
Benson shot a 37 on the front nine before shooting an identical 37 through the final nine holes to pace the Southeastern contingent. Aaron O'Callaghan opened with a 36 on the front nine before slipping to 40 on the back as he finished at 5-over-76 on the day. Rasmus Astrand (77), Matthew Carvell (78) and James Taverner (78) rounded out the lineup for Southeastern.
The Rebels shot an even-par 283 on the 7,100-yard, par-71 layout of Legends' Roper's Knob Course to lead the 18-team field. South Alabama, host Vanderbilt, and Louisville round out the top five after 18 holes of play.
Augusta State's Jake Amos carded a four-under 67 to grab the individual lead. Amos leads South Alabama's Jack Hiluta by one stroke. Six players, including Commodore Brett Lange and Rebels Jonathan Randolph and Jesse Speirs, stand in third place at two-under. A total of 20 players shot even-par or better for the day.
Lange, a senior from Atlanta, Ga., closed with birdies on 17 and 18 to get to two-under. Junior Jon Curran stands in a tie for 21st place after carding a one-over 72. Sophomores Chris Rockwell and Hudson Johnson also scored for the Commodores, each shooting two-over 73 for the round. Freshman Adam Hofmann shot a seven-over 78.
"Our guys held it together today in tough conditions," VU Head Coach Tom Shaw said. "We weren't at our best, but we played well enough to stay in the hunt. We look forward to making a move tomorrow to get up near the lead."
Redshirt-freshman Craig Tallent, playing in his first collegiate event, led the Commodores' "B" Team with a one-over 72.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament is scheduled to continue at 7:45 a.m. CT on Monday morning, with North Florida, MTSU and Mercer leaving from the 10th tee. UT-Chattanooga, Augusta State and Notre Dame will tee off at 8 a.m. on the first hole, with the leaders scheduled to go off at 9:40 a.m.
The 93-player field will play a final 18 holes on Tuesday.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. Mississippi 283
2. Mississippi State 284
3. South Alabama 286
T4. Vanderbilt 287
T4. Louisville 287
6. Western Kentucky 290
7. UT-Chattanooga 291
T8. Augusta State 292
T8. Notre Dame 292
T8. North Florida 292
11. MTSU 293
T12. Mercer 294
T12. Iowa State 294
14. Vanderbilt B 295
15. Belmont 297
16. Toledo 299
T17. Southeastern La. 305
T17. UNC-Greensboro 305
SOUTHEASTERN SCORING
T41. Graham Benson 74
T62. Aaron O'Callaghan 76
T66. Rasmus Astrand 77
T77. Matthew Carvell 78
T77. James Tavener 78
