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ULM Tied for Fifth; Fanonnel, Van Buynder Listed Among Top 10

ULM Tied for Fifth; Fanonnel, Van Buynder Listed Among Top 10

Men's Golf Apr 21
2019 Sun Belt Men's Golf Championships / First-Round Results
 
MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – With a trio of individuals sitting inside the Top 25 of the leaderboard, the ULM men's golf team is one of three teams tied for fifth after the first round of the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championships, taking place at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Miramar Beach, Florida.
 
Among the three Warhawks in the Top 25 on the individual leaderboard are Guillaume Fanonnel (tied for fifth), Otto Van Buynder (tied for seventh) and Thibault Santigny (tied for 24th). Arkansas State's Luka Naglic took the lead into the clubhouse after Sunday's play with a 5-under-par 66.
 
Meanwhile, ULM's team score of 2-under-par 282 is just four shots off the pace established by Coastal Carolina and Little Rock, which finished the first round at 6-under-par 278. Four shots separate the top eight teams on the leaderboard.
 
"We played a little tentative today, and ran into a tough stretch between holes 6 through 9, which cost us dearly," ULM Director of Golf Tim Baldwin said. "Fortunately, the rest of the field also had some difficulty, so we're right in the mix.
 
"We need to get off to a good start tomorrow and shoot a good number. Our goal is to qualify for match play and then really shine."
 
Fanonnel is two strokes off the individual lead with a 3-under-par score of 68 and tied with Texas State's Logan Lockwood for fifth. The first-round 68 at the Sun Belt Championships marks the lowest opening round by Fanonnel this season, edging out a 69 that came at the Little Rock Invitational (Oct. 22, 2018). His 14 pars are tied for the second-highest total in the 60-player field. Fanonnel's scorecard also features two birdies and an eagle, which came at the 15th green.
 
Van Buynder is one of seven players tied for seventh place at 2-under-par 69. It marks the third time this spring that the South African freshman has carded a sub-70 first round, including a 66 at the Lake Charles Toyota Invitational (March 18) and 67 at the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship (April 15). Van Buynder's opening round included a tournament-best seven birdies (tied with A-State's Naglic), four of which came on the front nine.
 
Baldwin added, "G (Guillaume) and Otto led the way today, and they're in the mix for medalist honors."
 
Santigny finished with the third-best score of the day for ULM, carding an even-par 71, placing himself in a three-way tie for 24th. After recording eight pars in the first nine holes, Santigny closed out the back nine with six pars and two birdies, which came on the 10th and 13th greens.
 
Andoni Etchenique, one of eight players tied for 42nd in the tournament field, shot a 3-over-par 74. Etchenique closed out the round with 12 pars and a pair of birdies at the third and 17th holes.
 
ULM's Joao Girao, who struggled to find his rhythm in the first round, posted an 8-over-par 79. Girao tallied 13 pars Sunday.
 
The next two rounds will determine the individual champion, but the overall team champion will be determined in match-play format from the top four finishing teams. The teams will play 18 holes on Monday and Tuesday (April 22-23), beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT with groups continuing to tee off until 8:51 a.m. CT. Match play to determine the team champion is scheduled for Wednesday, April 24.
 
ULM ONLY RESULTS / 2019 Sun Belt Championships – First-Round Results
 
Pl. Individual 1st Rd. Total Par
t-5. ULM 282 282 -2
t-5. Guillaume Fanonnel 68 68 -3
t-7. Otto Van Buynder 69 69 -2
t-24. Thibault Santigny 71 71 E
t-42. Andoni Etchenique 74 74 +3
  59 Joao Girao 79 79 +8
 
 
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