CRANSTON, RI - Sophomore Owen Elliott shot 71 to lead four Tufts players who finished in the 70s as the Jumbo Golf team sits in first place after the first day of the Wildcat Spring Invitational hosted by Johnson & Wales University on Saturday.
In opening round play Saturday, Elliott's even-par 71 topped the field. Tufts freshman Taylor Nordan came in at three-over par 74 to tie for third. Freshman Mike Lefkowitz, making his first appearance of the spring, shot a +5 76 to tie for 12th. The fourth Tufts scorer was junior Jay Wong at 79.
Tufts' four-man total of 300 strokes (+16) gives the Jumbos a five-stroke lead over second-place Middlebury (305) heading into day two on Sunday. Third-place Salem State is seven back at 307 and fourth-place Williams scored 308.
Elliott enters Sunday with a one-stroke advantage on Williams College's Jake Goldenring and Salem State's Cameron Daley, who both shot 72 on Saturday. A total of 104 golfers completed play on day one.
The tournament is being played at the par-71, 6,495-yard Cranston Country Club. Play on Sunday begins at 10 am.
This is head coach Bob Sheldon's Jumbos final tournament of the spring. They have enjoyed success thus far tying for fifth out of 17 at Rhode Island College April 3-4 and tying for eighth among 17 teams at UMass Dartmouth on April 10-11. They will look to top both of those finishes with a strong final round at Johnson & Wales tomorrow.
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