by Benny Benton
DADE CITY, Fla. – Barton College senior Austin Doerr fired a 5-over par 77 to tie for 63rd after the opening round of the NCAA Division II Men's Golf South/Southeast Regional Monday at Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club.
Starting in the final group off the No. 10 tee of the Tom Lehman-designed South Course, Doerr posted two of his three birdies on the day within the first four holes. Birdie 4s on the par-5 11th and 13th holes, sandwiched around a bogey on the 202-yard par-3 12th, left him 1-under par and ranked among the top 15.
He carried that score to the 18th hole – his ninth – where a bogey 5 left him at even-par as he made the turn. His round hit its biggest stumbling point on the 465-yard par-4 1st hole – billed in the course guidebook as "one of the most demanding opening holes in Florida." Doerr carded a double-bogey 6 on the difficult hole, and followed with another bogey on the 549-yard par-5 2nd to quickly slip to 3-over.
Playing in the windiest conditions of the day and chasing low scores posted in the morning calm by some of the nation's premier players, Doerr added three more bogeys coming in before closing on a positive note with his final birdie of the day on the par-5 9th.
He will be battling to make up ground over the next two days against a field that includes more than half of the nation's top 100 players, including four of the top five and seven of the top 10.
At the end of the 54-hole tournament, six teams and two other individuals not on one of those teams will advance to the national tournament. Based on Monday's first round, the second of those individuals would have advanced at 1-under.
Martin Cancino, the No. 5 player for third-ranked Lynn University, posted a blistering 6-under 66 before Doerr ever teed off on Monday and leads the 108-player field. Two other Fighting Knights recorded scores of 3-under, leaving Lynn with a five shot advantage over No. 1 Nova Southeastern, last year's national runners-up.
Conference Carolinas member Limestone College is tied for fourth after the first round, while Erskine College is 15th and North Greenville University is 17th in the 20-team field.
Doerr will have a turn in the calmer conditions for round two on Tuesday, as he will start off the No. 1 tee at 8:20 a.m.
