Men’s Golf Opens Spring Season, Closes Day 1 in Fifth

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Sophomore Taylor Gouge (72, +1) finished inside the top-10 to lead the King University men's golf team in the first day of their spring season-opening tournament. The Tornado finished fifth as a team after day one of the 2013 Spring Kick-Off, held at Fleming Island Golf Club in Orange Park, Fla. The tournament is being co-hosted by Lincoln Memorial University and Wingate University.

Taylor Gouge (Elizabethton, Tenn./Elizabethton H.S.) led the Tornado with a first-round 72 (36-36) on Monday afternoon. The sophomore completed the front nine shooting even-par and rattled off a pair of birdies on holes three and five. On the back nine, Gouge finished strong with a birdie on the par-5 18^th hole to go 1-up on the day. His one-over-par finish on the par 71, 6,688-yard course placed him inside the top-10 finishers for the day, claiming ninth place.

Teammates Richard Powell (Hixson, Tenn.) and Leennawat Numpituckchaikul (Bangkok, Thailand) both helped round out the top-20 with a pair of 74 (+3) first rounds. The tournament was the first of Numpituckchaikul's career after sitting out during the fall season. The freshman finished the last eight holes of the back nine strongly, shooting 1-under par.

Ross Maietta (38-37-75) and John Scott (37-39-76) rounded out the King team scorecard.

King currently rests comfortably in fifth place overall (+11, 295) in a 17-team field. They are one stroke away from sharing a three-way lead for third place with Lincoln Memorial University and Saint Leo University (+10). Georgia Southwestern State University currently holds the tournament team lead with a 2-over, 286. They hold a six-stroke lead over second-place Montevallo University.

Day two of the 2013 Spring Kick-Off Intercollegiate will kick off on Tuesday, Feb. 12 from Fleming Island Golf Club in Orange, Fla.