FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2012
Contact: Ben Greenberg, SID (479) 968-0645

JACK GARRETT FIRES ONE-OVER PAR 73 TO STAND TIED FOR 12TH PLACE AFTER OPENING ROUND OF NCAA D-II MIDWEST/SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

NCAA D-II Midwest/South Central Regional first round results 

JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri – Arkansas Tech sophomore Jack Garrett opened up play in his first NCAA Division II Regional here on Monday afternoon by firing a one-over par 73 to stand tied for 12th place after the first round of the NCAA D-II Midwest/South Central Regional Tournament held at the Jefferson City Country Club and hosted by Lincoln [MO] University.

Garrett, who is one of eight individuals who earned berths in this year's NCAA D-II Midwest/South Central Regional, was the second highest finisher among individuals in Monday's first round as Saginaw Valley State's Micah Skidmore shot a two-under par 70 to stand in third place.

"I was pleased with the way I played today. The course was very tough and the greens were very difficult and presented a challenge," Garrett said. "I can't wait to get back out on the course tomorrow."

In Monday's first round, Garrett, who teed off from the No. 10 tee at the JCCC, fired a one-over par 37 on the back nine, before carding an even par 36 on the front nine. Garrett, who at one point was tied for fifth place after moving to one-under after collecting a birdie on the par-4 No. 5 hole. Following the No. 5 hole, Garrett recorded a double bogey on No. 6 and had a bogey on the par-5 No. 7 hole. He ended his round by recording a birdie on the par-4 No. 9 hole.

"I thought Rowdy played well at times today and made a nice comeback after recording a double bogey and bogey on back-to-back holes down the stretch," Wonder Boys first year head coach Luke Calcatera said. "He ended the round with some momentum by carding a birdie on his final hole."

Garrett, who is a native of Fouke, Ark., and was named the inaugural Great American Conference Player of the Year and finished second at the GAC Championships, was one of seven golfers to shoot a 73 on Monday.

Central Missouri's Jared King and Grand Valley State's Travis Shooks opened the first round by each shooting four-under par 68's to stand in a tie for first place on the leaderboard after 18 holes. Only five golfers shot under par in the first round and six golfers fired even-par 72's on the day.

"The course was tough and low scores were hard to find," Calcatera added.

On the team side, Central Missouri holds the first round lead after carding a two-under par 286 as a team. The Mules, who are playing about 70 miles from its campus in Warrensburg, holds a four shot advantage over second place Northern Kentucky (292) and is 10 shots in front of third place teams, Grand Valley State, Indianapolis and Bellarmine, who each fired 296's on Monday

The top five scoring teams and top two individuals not with a team from the regional (regardless of region) will advance to the 2012 NCAA Division II National Championships on May 15-19 at the Cardinal Club in Simpsonville, Kent., as part of the NCAA D-II Spring Championships Festival. The Festival is hosted by Bellarmine University and the Louisville Sports Commission.

Garrett will return to the course on Tuesday for the second round as he will tee off at 8:20 a.m. from the No. 1 tee to play another 18 holes. The final round is set for Wednesday.         

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