Johnsen Tames Brickyard Course With Opening-Round 69
10/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 8, 2010
Complete 18-Hole Results in PDF Format 
MACON, Ga. - Gonzaga University sophomore Travis Johnsen had the lead for most of the day Friday, finished with a 3-under par 69 and is one shot back and tied for fourth after the first day of the Brickyard Collegiate Championship men's golf tournament.
Johnsen, who started his round on the back nine, was 5-under after 14 holes, but a double-bogey 6 on the eighth hole (his 17th hole of the day), dropped him from the lead. Johnsen had five birdies for the round.
Freshman Peter Gullickson had three bogeys in his first six holes but settled down to play the final 12 holes in 1-under par for a 74 over the 7,128-yard, par 72 Brickyard at Riverside Golf Course.
Johnsen and Gullickson were the bright spots for the Bulldogs, who find themselves in a three-way tie for 11th at 298 entering Saturday's second round. But the Bulldogs are only seven strokes out of fourth.
"Travis played a great round today," Gray said.
Gray said Johnsen "hit a beautiful drive down the middle" on the 8th hole, but his approach shot turned over just a bit too much and he missed the green left by three yards, bouncing off the hillside into a hazard. After the penalty, he was unable to get up and down for a bogey.
Gray said Gullickson "continued his consistent play" after settling down after his early run of bogeys.
The University of Georgia is at 287 for a 1-stroke lead over the University of North Florida and a 2-shot advantage over Augusta State University.
There are six Top 50 teams in the field according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, with Augusta State leading the way at No. 5. Georgia Tech is 10th and Georgia 16th to give the tourney three Top 20 teams.
"We put together a decent team score today against some very good programs," Gonzaga head coach Robert Gray said. "To be tied with programs like Florida State and Virginia Tech and hanging close to teams like Clemson, Georgia Tech and defending national champion Augusta State says a lot about these guys on the team. They've been working hard to compete at a higher level and have made some good strides this fall. They have a totally different mindset after the strong tournament field we've already played in and that makes a big difference."
But Gray also realized there is plenty of golf to be played in the 54-hole event.
"That being said, we've got two more rounds to go. We've struggled with consistency this fall and our first round has typically been our worst. So, our goal for the next two days is to build off of today and find that consistency for the final two rounds," Gray noted.
