PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Nick Lyerly shined during the first round of the NCAA Division I Regional championship Monday afternoon.
Competing on college golf's biggest stage, Lyerly met the moment with poise and grace. He started fast and finished strong to sit atop of the leaderboard after carding a five-under. Lyerly handled the par-72 PGA National Resort course by finishing with seven birdies and nine pars.
"It's awesome to be leading but there's still 36 holes to play," Lyerly said. "The goal was to be near the top after today and I accomplished that. The putter was working really well today. My speed putting on longer putts was great and I actually made a couple of bombs, including a 50 footer on the first hole."
Lyerly's effort impressed veteran UNCG head men's golf coach
Terrance Stewart.
"Today was a great round from Nick," Stewart said. "He played a very strategic and well thought out 18 holes. He's an elite player who knows his game and it showed today. This round was definitely one of the best in UNCG history."
Lyerly started fast and never looked back. He had four birdies on the front nine, which helped him shoot a four-under 32. Lyerly set the tone immediately with a birdie on the par-4 365-yard first hole.
He found a groove later in the round in which he birdied four of five holes. Lyerly birdied the eighth, ninth, and 10th holes. After his birdie on the 10th hole, Lyerly was leading the tournament. He maintained a share of the lead throughout the remaining eight holes.
Despite a pair of bogeys on the back nine, the Southern Conference Men's Golfer of the Year ended the memorable round with birdies on the 16th and 18th holes.
"I made a couple bad swings today and I did a great job getting out of trouble and giving myself easy bogies instead of making something worse," Lyerly said. "Finishing with a birdie is always nice and makes the rest of the day feel better. Hopefully, it will help the momentum carry over to tomorrow."
Lyerly tees off at 10:04 a.m. from the first hole on Tuesday to begin the second round.
