STANFORD, Calif. - Making a return to his hometown course, Ethan Gao finished the day firmly in the top 20 in the opening round of The Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate.
Stanford finished the day tied for 10th with a 6-over 294 effort after 18 holes. Virginia holds the day one lead at 9-under as a team.
Gao was Stanford's top performer of the afternoon, keeping the scorecard clean with two birdies and a lone bogey for an opening-round 71 as he went into the clubhouse tied for 14th.
It was a rocky start to the day for Jay Leng but a 34 on the back nine, including back-to-back birdies to close the round allowing the freshman to climb back for a 73 on Friday. Leng led the team with five birdies on his scorecard.
Wang also posted a first-round 73, as a stretch of three consecutive bogeys on holes 4-6 dampened an otherwise solid round for the junior.
TK Chantananuwat and Sean-Karl Dobson posted nearly identical rounds as they each turned in 5-over 77 scorecards with two birdies, three birdies, and two double-bogeys on the day.
Kush Arora also competed as an individual at The Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, posting a 4-over 76 in his first-round effort.
Stanford returns for second-round action tomorrow morning, with tee times beginning at 6 a.m. PT.
| THE GOLF CLUB OF GEORGIA COLLEGIATE | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T10. Stanford | 294 (+6) | -- | -- | 294 (+6) |
| T14. Ethan Gao | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | 71 (-1) |
| T29. Jay Leng | 73 (+1) | -- | -- | 73 (+1) |
| T29. Nathan Wang | 73 (+1) | -- | -- | 73 (+1) |
| T64. TK Chantananuwat | 77 (+5) | -- | -- | 77 (+5) |
| T64. Sean-Karl Dobson | 77 (+5) | -- | -- | 77 (+5) |
| T55. Kush Arora (Indy) | 76 (+4) | -- | -- | 76 (+4) |