PALM CITY, Fla. – If Oklahoma State is to defend its title at the 2019 Valspar Collegiate, the Cowboys have some work to do.
The Cowboys (-5) are looking for their fifth win in nine events this season, but currently sit in third behind leaders Florida State and South Carolina (-6) after day one at Floridian National Golf Club.
OSU sophomore Matthew Wolff is the individual leader at 6-under, followed by Texas A&M senior Chandler Phillips, Florida State’s John Pak, Wake Forest’s Cameron Young and Baylor’s Braden Bailey, who are all at 5-under.
“I’ve got good mojo here,” said Phillips, who lost in a playoff for the individual title his freshman year. Despite a pair of three-putts, the Aggie senior was still able to contend, saying with a smile, “that’ll tell you how good I hit it.”
Valspar Collegiate standings: Team | Individual
“This tournament actually may be better than (the NCAA tournament) because you don’t know what teams aren’t going to make it through regionals,” Phillips explained. “I know a lot of these guys, to be able to compete with them and be in the hunt, it’s great. I’m looking forward to (Monday).”
The 15-team field features six of Golfweek’s top 10 teams in the nation. The teams will play 36 holes on Monday in order to finish the tournament before inclement weather strikes. The shotgun start will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Looking to defend their home state, the Seminoles were powered by Pak, who started his day with three birdies through four holes. Calvin Sierota, who eagled the par-5 seventh hole, was the only other player from FSU to shoot under par.
Meanwhile, South Carolina boasted three players under par: Ryan Stachler (-4), Will Miles (-3) and Scott Stevens (-1).
