The No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks had a rough opening round at the SEC championships Wednesday at St. Simons Island, Ga.
The Razorbacks came in at 9-over par in 10th place and 13 shots off the lead at the Sea Island Golf Club. The top eight teams will be seeded for match play after Friday’s third round.
Arkansas was led by sophomore William Buhl, who recorded four birdies and four bogeys and shot even par 70 to tie for 11th. Sophomore Mason Overstreet, last year’s NCAA runner-up, fired a 1-over 71 and is tied for 18th place.
Transfer Tyson Reeder shot 3 over and is tied for 36th, while senior Alvaro Ortiz and sophomore Luis Garza carded 5 overs and are tied for 53rd.
The first-round leader is LSU’s Luis Gagne at 4 under, followed by Tennessee’s Lorenzo Scalise at 3 under. Five golfers are tied for third place at 2 under.
No. 4 Vanderbilt is the round 1 leader with a 4-under 276. The Commodores are followed by cross-state rival Tennessee and No. 9 Auburn, who shot even par.
The Vols were the first-round upstart, as they rank No. 50 in the nation, ahead of No. 11 LSU (+1) and No. 6 Alabama (+3).
On the flip side, No. 2 Texas A&M was the day’s biggest surprise, shooting 16 over to stand alone in last place.
No. 19 Kentucky is in sixth place (+6), followed by Missouri (+7). South Carolina and Ole Miss are tied for eighth at 8 over.
The Razorbacks lead Georgia (+11), Mississippi State (+13), No. 7 Florida (+13) and the Aggies.