Sear Leads WVU at Health Plan Invite

Monday, October 8

Bridgeport, W.Va.

8:30 a.m.

West Virginia University

The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

October 08, 2018 08:27 PM | Golf

First Round Results Live Scoring Photo Gallery

By: Ashley Bailey

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Officially, the West Virginia University golf team sat atop the team leaderboard with senior Max Sear leading the team through one round of play at The Health Plan Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, West Virginia, on Monday.

Unofficially, WVU sits two strokes behind Davidson with four holes remaining in the second round.

Golfers got through most of the second round before play was called at 6:50 p.m. due to darkness. As players did not complete the second 18 holes, the first round is the only round officially on record for the tournament. Teams will resume the second round at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday before embarking on the third and final round.

WVU shot a 289 for one over as a team in the first round. The Mountaineers finished five strokes ahead of James Madison, who was in second with a 294 at six over at the conclusion of the first round. Davidson was third at eight over with a 296.

Sear used four birdies to shoot three-under-par with a 69 in the first round. He finished the first 18 holes tied for second place. Unofficially, he is three under and tied for third with two holes remaining in the second round.

Junior Etienne Papineau and sophomore Matthew Sharpstene tied for seventh after one round. Papineau birdied four on the front nine and three more on the back, but struggled with some bogeys and shot even-par with a 72. Sharpstene birdied four on the front nine, but bogeyed four as well to shoot even-par with a 72.

Junior Philipp Matlari shot four over with a 76 in the first round and is tied for 22nd overall. Freshman Kurtis Grant shot eight over par to finish with an 80. He is tied for 52nd place.

Senior Tristan Nicholls and sophomores Mark Goetz and Logan Perkins are competing in the event as individuals. Perkins carded a score of three-over-par for a 75 in the first round, tying for 21st place. Nicholls and Goetz each shot an 81 to finish at nine over and tied for 60th place.

The Mountaineers are hosting 13 teams in their fourth annual home tournament at Pete Dye Golf Club. Bowling Green won last year's event and was in sixth place after the first round of play.