PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - North Florida men's golf opened the first round as hosts of The Hayt tied for eighth overall on Saturday afternoon at Sawgrass Country Club.

The Ospreys faced some ups and downs throughout the day, but were able to stay afloat through the first 18 holes of play. Robbie Higgins leads the pack with four birdies and an even-par score, while Jason Duff is the next man up currently inside the top 25 at 2-over 74.

COURSE REPORT

Sawgrass Country Club (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
Par 72 | 6,966 Yards
Saturday, Mar. 9 | 18 holes

SCORECARD (Osprey lineup)

T8 - North Florida | 13-over 301
T13. Robbie Higgins | Even-par 72
T25. Jason Duff | 2-over 74
T35. Nick Gabrelcik | 3-over 75
T68. Andrew Riley | 8-over 80
T68. Filippo Serra | 8-over 80

TEAM STANDINGS: 14 Teams

Alabama (6-under), Ohio State (2-under), North Carolina (1-over), Virginia (6-over), Louisville (7-over), Liberty (9-over), Jacksonville (12-over), North Florida (13-over), UCF (13-over), USF (15-over), Duke (17-over), Coastal Carolina (19-over), UTSA (20-over), Charlotte (23-over)

ROUND REFLECTIONS

• Higgins put together a fantastic start with three birdies over the first four holes, followed by a par on every hole during the back nine to score even-par.
• The senior finished the day with four birdies and 11 pars to lead the Ospreys' field tied for 13th overall.
• Duff finished with a great back nine going 3-under in his final eight holes to be tied for 25th at 2-over 74.
• Nick Gabrelcik scored three birdies, with two on par-five holes, on his way to a 3-over 75 first round to have him open with a share of 35th overall.
• Andrew Riley and Filippo Serra wrapped up the team score, as they each carded 8-over 80 to start The Hayt.
• Chase Carroll was the top unattached individual for the Ospreys with a score of 1-under 71 to be tied for eighth on the leaderboard.
• Davis Lee snuck in for a top-50 start at 5-over 77, while Justin Ross finished as the eighth Osprey to play this afternoon at 7-over 79.
• Duff sits with the best par-three scoring average at 1-under, while Serra and Carroll are right behind at even-par.
• Carroll, Duff, Gabrelcik and Higgins all are tied for a top-six mark in par-five average at 2-under.
• Ross had the most birdies out of all eight UNF players with five total, while Higgins and Carroll each had four total.
• The Ospreys were top five in average score on par-three holes at 5-over (3.25).
• UNF finished the opening round with 54 pars and 13 birdies combined.

STATEMENT FROM SCHROEDER

"Not the best day to play our worst round of the year. Good news is we got two days to try and bounce back."
-- head coach Scott Schroeder

UP NEXT

North Florida looks to bounce back in the second round of The Hayt starting off the first hole at 8 a.m., paired with UCF and Jacksonville on Sunday morning.