FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — With two golfers currently in the top 12, No. 25 Averett University men's golf is in ninth place following Monday's opening round of the Royal Lakes Invitational hosted by Oglethorpe University at Royal Lakes Golf and Country Club.
 
The Cougars shot a collective 8-over-par on the par-72, 6,717-yard course. They were led by junior Antti Vahvaselka's 2-under 70, which puts him in a tie for sixth overall individually. Freshman Max Pettersson also had a strong first round, carding a 1-under 71 to put him in a tie for 12th.

Senior Caleb Kimbrough finished the first 18 holes with a 1-over 73 to put him in 28th place entering Tuesday's final round. Also for Averett, junior Casper Mellby shot a 10-over 82 and sophomore Killian O'Reilly was 13-over.

Greensboro College leads the strong 22-team tournament by two strokes after shooting 5-under on the opening day. The top 10 teams are within 14 strokes of each other in the standings.

Washington and Lee University's Pierce Robinson has a one-stroke lead individually. He shot 5-under, one stroke ahead of Birmingham Southern University's Tanner Bronnum in the 124-golfer field.