GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Four of the top-10 teams in the nation, six of the top-20, and nine of the top-40 squads in D3 golf are among the 18 teams assembled in Greensboro for the O'Briant-Jensen Memorial tournament hosted by Guilford.

The Bridgewater College men's golf team rarely faces a stronger field, or a more challenging golf course than The Cardinal by Pete Dye, and they were looking forward to the start of this event on Monday. Entering the Memorial as a 14th seed, the Eagles struggled early in the first round but played solidly on their back nine to finish where they were ranked.
 
"This tournament is a highlight each year," said head coach John Rogers, "despite the fact that it can be a little humbling. If you spend enough time playing layouts like this Dye course, it will make you a better player and a better team. It's helpful to be able to hit different shapes from the tees and into greens; it demands an array of shots around the greens with all the false fronts and undulation, from lofted shots with spin to texas wedges; and to play a course like this well, you develop the maturity to hit to a specific side of the hole, often away from the pin."

Rogers went on to say that playing here is like jumping into the deep end of D3 golf. "Today I'm not sure we were quite swimming, but at least we were treading water, and I think we are learning."
 
The tendency for Bridgewater over the years has been to play the back nine at The Cardinal very well but struggle on the front nine, often playing them in that order as the pairings dictate. On Monday, though, when the Eagles started on #10, they got off to a slow start. The team played the first two holes a cumulative +10 while the conference opponents in their pairing (Shenandoah and Roanoke) were under par. Unusually, the Eagles played the back nine at +24 before making the turn and settling down on the front nine. They came in at +12 to post 320.
 
The steadiest round of the day for the Eagles was provided by junior Nate Winebarger, making his first appearance in the starting lineup since September. He played both sides at +3, never making a birdie, but also avoiding the big numbers that lurk at the Dye course. Winebarger scrambled well throughout the round, often putting from the tight surrounding areas at the greens, and a highlight was on hole #8 (his 17th) -- he hit his tee shot on the 191-yard par-3 just below a 6-foot retaining wall in a penalty area; opting to play a risky flop shot, he hoisted the ball straight up, over the wall, and then converted the remaining 5-foot putt to save par. He turned in a score of 77.
 
Junior Hayden Hawes was five over through seven holes (#10 - #16), despite a birdie, but breaking away from the team's normal trend at The Cardinal, he rallied on the front nine to finish at +7. He played seven holes in the toughest stretch of the course at even par, stumbling only on #8 when he under-clubbed, and took a bogey. Hawes had three birdies en route to a 78.
 
Freshman Andrew Baugher earned a spot in the starting lineup for the first time this week. He overcame some early jitters that had him +5 through six holes and he held on to post 82. "This event and this course have not been very friendly to young players in the past," noted Rogers, "especially those who are not widely traveled, so today was a bit of a baptism by fire for Andrew. While this score wouldn't normally thrill him, in context it was solid, and he helped us to keep the round from getting away."
 
Max Bondurant provided an 83 to round out the team score for Bridgewater. Rogers pointed out that The Cardinal is not really a course that favors length from the tee (with landing areas that call for 250 yards from the tee rather than 300 yards) and the long-hitting sophomore unusually had no birdies. A highlight was on #2 where Bondurant hit a flop-shot to a precarious down-slope and tapped in to save par.
 
Jacob Sears is known for his scrambling, and a tendency to drop some long putts, but the slick greens at The Cardinal were stingy on Monday and Sears came in with an 85. The senior also said he needed some time on the range to tighten up his driver swing.
 
Despite the slow start on the more-forgiving side today, the Eagles still came in lower than their team scores from last year, and they came in ahead of one team ranked more than 50 spots higher in the Golfstat rankings. "It was a frustrating start to the round because we have traditionally played some very good golf starting on the back nine," said Rogers, "the good news being that we played the other side quite a bit better than past years. Now the trick is to manage both sides during the same round. Hopefully tomorrow!"
 
CNU (#7 nationally) shot 285 (+1) to claim the first-round lead with Emory (#1) and Methodist (#2) chasing them. Four players shot 68 (-3) to lead the individual championship. The Eagles are tied for 14th among eighteen teams. Play resumes at 9:00 AM Tuesday morning.