BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Brian Grubbs (Cortez, Colo./Montezuma Cortez) shot four-under par in the first round to lead the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Men's Golf Championships and help Saint Peter's finish the day with an even-par round to lead the team competition on Friday. All five Peacocks golfers sit in the Top-10 after the first round of competition.
Grubbs, who finished fifth at last year's MAAC Men's Golf Championships, tied Sean Fitzpatrick's program record-low score of 68 from the 2010 MAAC Championships to sit in first place after the first round, two strokes ahead of two players in the field. The senior posted a three-under par front nine thanks to birdies on the third, fourth and nine holes. He then posted a one-under par final nine holes with birdies on 12 and 17 while the only bogey came on the 16th hole to notch the best round of his collegiate career.
The defending MAAC Tournament champions were shooting under par for most of the afternoon before finishing with an even-round score of 288, besting the squad's previous tournament low of 291 from 2012. The squad shot four under par on the first nine holes and then four-over par on the back nine.
"We played awesome today," said two-time MAAC Coach of the Year Pete Falloon. "We had a great practice round on Thursday and it carried over into today's competition. We were aggressive on the course today and were happy with the results and will continue to play aggressive in the second round on Saturday."
The Peacocks will go into the second round with a seven-stroke advantage on Monmouth (295) while Iona (296), Fairfield (297), Siena (303), Rider (307), Manhattan (313), Niagara (316) and Canisius (324) round out the nine-team field after one day of competition.
Eric Edmunds (Skaneateles, N.Y./Skaneateles) and Dominic Diaz (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) both sit in seventh place after shooting a one-over round of 73 on the day. Edmunds tied his MAAC Tournament career-low score that he established in the first round of his freshman year while Diaz had his best round of the four he has participated in at the league championships. The 73 also ranks as the ninth-best round in program history at the MAAC Championships.
Edmunds was three-under par after the first nine holes after birdies on the first, second and ninth holes, but was four-over par on the back nine with bogeys on 10, 11, 16, and 18 to finish with a 73 and five strokes behind Grubbs. Diaz was one-over par going into the back nine after a bogey on the sixth hole. The sophomore then registered birdies on 10 and 16 with bogeys on 11 and 16 to finish tied with Edmunds for seventh place with a score of 73 and five strokes behind Grubbs.
Nicholas Dilio (Hopewell Junction, N.Y./John Jay) and Brandon Molson (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) each shot a 74 to sit in 10th place after the first round. Dilio bogeyed the sixth hole to head into the final nine holes one-over par. He birdied the 12th hole, but bogeyed 14 and 15 to finish two-over par. Molson started the morning with a birdie on the first hole before bogeying the third and ninth hole to had to the 10th tee with a one-over front nine. The senior started the back nine in similar fashion with a birdie before bogeying 12 and 18 to end with a one-over par.
Saint Peter's continues its quest to repeat as the MAAC Men's Golf champions with the second round of the MAAC Men's Golf Championships on Saturday. The Peacocks will be paired with Monmouth and Iona and will start the round on the back nine 10th tee. Molson will be the first one to hit the green at 9 a.m. and will be followed by Dilio (9:09 a.m.), Diaz (9:18 a.m.), Edmunds (9:27 a.m.) and Grubbs (9:36 a.m.).
