KENOSHA, Wisc. – Rowdy Garrett shot a career-low 69 (-3) to finish the first round in a ninth-place tie, while Brian Belz carded a 71 (-1) to finish the round tied for 15th as the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys golf team finished the opening round with a team score of 293, ranking ninth after day one of the NCAA Midwest/Central Regional.

The Wonder Boys trail overall leader Missouri-St. Louis by ten strokes, and Garrett is four strokes behind individual leader Robby Hughey of Central Missouri.

The top three teams from the two regions, as well as the top three finishers from non-qualifying teams will advance to the NCAA Golf Championship in Hershey, Pa.

At the moment, the three Central Region teams above the cutline are third-place Central Missouri, fifth-place Central Oklahoma, and sixth-place Northeastern State, The Wonder Boys are three strokes from the cutline. Individually, the top three players in the Central Region are SWOSU's Wouter Myburgh, Garrett, and SWOSU's Jake Duvall, who is one stroke behind Garrett in the individual standings.

Belz sits one stroke below the cutline after his 70, while Graham Rucker is tied for 35th after his first-round 74 (+2). Jason Purdy and Dillon Young fired matching 79s (+7) and are tied for 94th.

-TECH-