Cappelen leads Hogs at Seminole

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Freshman Sebastian Cappelen is tied for the individual lead at three-under par and has the University of Arkansas men’s golf team in first place by 10 strokes after day one of the Seminole Intercollegiate at Southwood Golf Club in Tallahassee Fla.

As a team, the Razorbacks shot a round of seven-under-par for a team score of 277, a score that matches its best of the season. The seven-under round gives Arkansas a 10-stroke lead over second place and host Florida State who was three-over-par as a team. Mississippi State (+5), Kennesaw State (+6) and North Texas (+8) round out the top five in the 18-team field. Individually for the Razorbacks, three of their five players shot under par with a fourth at even par and all four among the top 10 players in the 96-player field.

Cappelen was masterful in his round, shooting four-under par on his opening nine holes with only a single bogey on the back side of the course. He opened the competition with birdies on two of his first three holes, then finished the front side of the course with back-to-back birdies. He would shoot par on his next seven holes before his bogey on 17. Cappelen’s opening round 68 matches his career best which he shot at the Battle at the Beach in mid-February and has him tied with Carlos Ortiz of North Texas for the top spot on the leaderboard.

Right behind Cappelen were teammates Ethan Tracy and Austin Cook who are tied for third in the individual standings at two-under-par. Tracy also birdied his first hole, but gave that stroke right back with a bogey on two. Birdies on holes seven and nine moved him to two-under where he would stay as he recorded par on every hole of the back nine.

Cook’s route to two-under par was not as easy for the Jonesboro, Ark., native as he shot back-to-back bogeys on holes four and five to stand at two-over par. He would move back to even with back-to-back birdies on eight and nine then made it three straight birdies on 10. A bogey on 12 moved him back to even and back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 got him to two-under and in the mix for a top three finish.

Senior Jamie Marshall looked very strong at the start of his day with a score of two-under par on the front nine, but a two-over back nine has the Castle Rock, Colo., native tied for 10th. Marshall was two-under-par on the three par five holes, but four bogeys over a five-hole stretch between 12 and 16 ruined his chances at a sub-par finish.

Freshman Will Pearson finished the day for the Razorbacks with a four-over par round, 75, to tie for 37th. Pearson was one of four Razorbacks to birdie the first hole, but five bogeys over the next 17 finished his day outside the scoring four.

The second round of the Seminole Intercollegiate begins at 8 a.m. eastern, with Arkansas teeing off with Florida State and Mississippi State at 9:30 a.m. The Razorbacks will play another 18 holes on Saturday before a final round of 18 on Sunday.