ECU In Eighth Place After American Championship Opening Round

Sunday, April 23

North Palm Harbor, Fla.

8 A.M.

East Carolina University

The American Championship

ECU In Eighth Place After American Championship Opening Round

April 23, 2017 | Men's Golf

Complete Results Live Stats

PALM HARBOR, Fla. - The East Carolina University men's golf team shot a first-round 299 to sit in eighth place after Sunday's opening round of competition at the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championships at the Innisbrook Resort.

USF (287) leads the field by one stroke over second-place Houston (288), while UCF is two strokes behind (289) in third-place. Cincinnati (291) sits alone in fourth-place followed by Memphis (294), Connecticut (295) and Temple (298) in front of the Pirates, while SMU (300) occupies ninth-place.

Freshman Blake Taylor made three birdies en route to a 2-over-par 73 score, tying him for 11^th individually to lead the Pirates Sunday. Junior Tim Conover and freshman Patrick Stephenson each carded a first round 3-over-par 74 to tie for 23^rd.

Redshirt junior Jackson Spires shot a 7-over-par 78 to sit tied for 38^th and junior Clay Brown shot a first round 80 to stand alone in 44^th.

Houston's Papito Gonzalez holds a one stroke lead over Manuel Elvira of UCF for the individual lead after carding a 3-under-par 68. Four additional players are tied for third-place at par-71 with more players tied for seventh at 1-over-par 72.

Play continues at the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championships on Monday with a single round of 18 holes beginning at 8 a.m.