BOULDER CITY, Nev.  Methodist University, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, played its opening round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championships on Tuesday. In a battle to jump out front, Methodist and Emory University played some lights out golf with the Monarchs, 17-under 271, just edging out the Eagles, 16-under 272, by one stroke.

JUST THE FACTS
Event: 2024 NCAA D3 Men's Golf Championships
Course: Boulder Creek Golf Club (Par 72 – 7,377 yards)
Top teams: 1 – Methodist (271; -17), 2 – Emory (272; -16), 3 – University of Redlands (Calif.) (310; -13)
Top individuals: 1 – Jackson Klutznick, Emory (64; -8), 2 – Jonathan McEwen, Washington & Lee University (65; -7), T3 – Three Players (66; -6)
 
OPENING ROUND

• Junior Chase Walts shot the best round for the Monarchs, with a six-under 66. He started off red hot as he birdied four of his first five holes. He hit a rough patch during his next seven holes, three bogeys to go along with his fifth birdie, but he quickly turned that around with a pair of eagles on hole Nos. 13 & 16.
• Just one stroke behind Walts, Cooper Hrabak scored a five-under67 in his opening round. He went three-under on the front half of the course with two birdies, an eagle, and a bogey. He then followed that up by going two-under on the back half with three birdies and a bogey.
• Right behind the two lead Methodist golfers, Aiden Spampinato matched his season-low round score of four-under 68 in the first round. A double bogey, a bogey, and a birdie through the front had him at two-over heading into the turn. On the back, he went six-under with a couple of eagles & birdies. Like Walts, Spampinato also knocked in eagles on holes 13 &16, which put the Monarchs eagle total to five in round.
• Scoring a two-under 70 in his first-ever NCAA Championship round was Caleb Ryan. A double bogey on hole No. 1 was not the start Ryan would have like, but he left that in the past and birdied three of his next four holes, to bring his score to one-under heading into the back nine. Two more birdies and a bogey was how Ryan concluded his opening round.
• Rounding out Methodist is Cameron Cappuzzo, who shot a one-over 73. Throughout his time on the course, in the first round, he made four bogeys and three birdies.

UP NEXT
Methodist will play its second round at the Legacy Golf Club, the second of two courses that all participating team play on during the championships, on Wednesday.