Clayton State leads NCAA Division II Men’s Golf National Championships with 7-under par 273
Lakers’ Wilcox tied for second overall with 4-under 66 after opening round

HOUSTON, Texas – May 14, 2008 – The Clayton State Laker men’s golf team literally saved their best for last in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Division II National Championships on Wednesday.

Playing in the final pairing of the round, Clayton State made a huge statement in its first appearance in the National Championships in nine years by shooting a sizzlin’ 7-under par 273 for first place overall after the first round at the Memorial Park Golf Club. The Lakers hold a five-stroke lead over Southest Region rival Belmont Abbey, a seven-stroke lead over Indianapolis and a nine-stroke advantage over Peach Belt Conference rival USC Aiken, Grand Valley State and Western Washington.

In addition, the 7-under 273 is a new team record for Clayton State for an 18-hole round, related to par. It eclipses the old mark by seven strokes.

"I’ve said all along that the talent is there, we just haven’t been able to put together a strong round this spring," said Clayton State head coach Barry Harwell. "What a time to do that. We still have a long way to go with the next three rounds, but who would’ve predicted we would be ahead after the first round. I don’t know what to say.

"It’s great for our program and great for the guys, and we’ve had a good day."

The Lakers recorded 17 birdies for the round against only 12 bogeys for the round. In additon, all four players that counted towards the score shot at least even par for the round. At one point in the first round, the Lakers were 9-under and holding a seven-stroke lead.

Junior Will Wilcox regained his Peach Belt Conference championship form by shooting a 4-under 66 to stand tied for second place overall. Wilcox, a junior, is even with Grand Valley State’s Josh Orler and they both trail first-round leader Jude Eustaquio from Florida Southern by three strokes. Wilcox recorded only one bogey for the round with birdies on holes 3, 5, 6, 10 and 16.

However, the story of the round for Clayton State wasn’t as much Wilcox as it was his teammates. Junior Neil McBride was tremendous, shooting a 2-under 68 to stand tied for sixth, while junior Jonathan Visconti is tied for 11th with a 1-under 69 and freshman Kevin Duncan is tied for 19th with an even-par 70.

It was McBride who carried Clayton State early. He birdied four of his first five holes and led the tournament atone point at 5-under. However, McBride leveled off with three bogeys in the last eight holes, but not enough to take himseld out of contention.

Visconti was ever-steady with three birdies and only two bogeys, while Duncan stepped up big time on the big stage with three birdies and three bogeys.

"Overall, we had solid play all around and we kept adding on to our lead for about the first 12 holes," Harwell said. "It leveled off a little down the stretch, but we didn’t bleed or panic at all. This is a great start, and we need to build on it for the next couple of rounds."

Junior Wade Binfield rounded out the Clayton State scoring with an 8-over 78, placing him 102nd overall.

Clayton State will be a part of the first pairing for the second round on Thursday at 8 am.