Men’s Golf Finishes Under-Par in First Round at GC of Georgia Collegiate

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – The Duke men’s golf team is in eighth place after the opening round of the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate, following a first-round 3-under, 285. Kelly Chinn led the Blue Devils’ efforts on Friday, carding a 4-under, 68, and is currently tied for third overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• As a team, Duke shot a 3-under, 285, in the first round. The Blue Devils were one of 11 teams that finished under-par on Friday.
• Kelly Chinn quickly got into red numbers, rolling in birdies on holes No. 1 and 3 to start his day. Back-to-back bogeys pushed the junior back to even-par, but a par on the 22-yard, par-3, sixth hole stopped the slide. Chinn then caught fire, making three consecutive birdies to close out his front nine at 3-under. He played the back nine bogey-free and added one more birdie, on the par-4 12th, to finish his day at 4-under.
• Duke’s second under-par round of the day came courtesy of Jimmy Zheng, who signed for a 3-under, 69, on Friday. The senior started with a bogey on hole No. 3 but was under-par within four holes after birdies on holes No. 5 and 7. A third front-nine birdie, on the par-5 ninth, helped Zheng make the turn at 2-under. He started the back nine with five consecutive pars before closing with two birdies and one bogey over his final four holes of the day. Zheng is currently tied for seventh place following his opening-round, 3-under.
• Luke Sample battled through an up-and-down round, eventually signing for a 1-over, 73, in the first round. Sample started his day at 3-over through six holes, but built momentum through the middle of his round, making birdies on holes No. 9 and 11. He dropped shots on two of his next four holes before closing his round on a high note with birdies on holes No. 16 and 18.
• Ian Siebers was under-par after the first hole after a birdie on the par-5 first, and added another birdie on the fourth hole. Back-to-back bogeys moved Siebers back to even-par, where the senior remained at the turn. A birdie on the 11th, his third of the day, was followed by four bogeys over the final seven holes, to cap off a 3-over, 75, on Friday.
• Also for Duke, Bryan Kim logged a 6-over, 78, in the opening round.

NOTES

• The 3-under, 285, as a team is the fifth under-par round in the team’s last seven rounds.
• As a team, Duke had 19 birdies in the first…