RIO GRANDE, P.R. - Sixth-year senior Brett Schell had one of the best showings of his career in the opening round of spring play at the Puerto Rico Classic hosted by Purdue on Monday afternoon.

Schell had as clean of a round as you can have with seven birdies and no holes worse than par to card a 7-under 65 first round in the Caribbean. He leads all 89 players in the tournament that features 12 of the 15 teams in the event residing from a Power Four school.

North Florida men's golf was among the top-tier of teams in Puerto Rico tied for sixth to start the early week. They are tied at a 6-under 282 combined score with the SEC trio of Georgia, Tennessee and LSU.

COURSE REPORT

Grand Reserve GC (Rio Grande, P.R.)
Par 72 | 7,152 yards
Monday, Feb. 10 | 18 holes

SCORECARD (Osprey lineup)

T6 - North Florida | 6-under 282
1. Brett Schell | 7-under 65
T29. Jason Duff | 1-under 71
T51. Danny Erickson | 1-over 73
T51. Justin Ross | 1-over 73
T58. Filippo Serra | 2-over 74

TEAM STANDINGS: 15 Teams

Ole Miss (16-under), Purdue (14-under), Oklahoma (13-under), South Carolina (11-under), Virginia (8-under), North Florida (6-under), Tennessee (6-under), Georgia (6-under), LSU (6-under), Marquette (3-under), Minnesota (2-under), College of Charleston (1-over), Iowa (6-over), Ohio State (6-over), Wisconsin (9-over)

ROUND REFLECTIONS

• Brett Schell showed near perfection in the first round with seven birdies, including recording four over a five hole span to finish out the front nine, to sit at the top of the leaderboard.
• He had the most birdies with three other players in the tournament, as well as a top-two par-three scoring average (2-under) and par-four average (3-under).
• Jason Duff started his day with a birdie to move forward with three total plus an eagle for a top-30 score of 1-under 71.
• The fellow senior showed out with a top-eight in par-four scoring average (2-under) in the first round.
• Danny Erickson made his spring debut with four birdies, including one on his first hole and three over a four-hole span for 1-over 73, which stands just outside the top 50.
• Justin Ross led all Ospreys in pars with 15 total, which is tied for the second-most on Monday, to be tied with Erickson at 1-over 73.
• Filippo Serra rounded out the afternoon with a pair of birdies to close out the Ospreys' performance at 2-over 74.
• The Ospreys were among the top-three teams in par-four efficiency with a 3-under average through 18 holes.
• UNF recorded 57 total birdies, the sixth-most in the tourney, and 17 total pars, as well as one of four schools with an eagle.

SCHROEDER'S STATEMENT

"Brett [Schell] played a really nice round and carried us today. We were in position for a good team score, but too many mistakes the last few holes. Just got to keep the scorecards a little more clean tomorrow."
-- Director of Golf Scott Schroeder

UP NEXT

North Florida continues its spring debut with the second round of the Puerto Rico Classic on Tuesday, Feb. 11.