KILLEN, Ala. (October 14, 2024) – The University of North Alabama men's golf team concluded round one and two of the Turtle Point Invite in Killen, Ala. on Monday. The Lions ended the day in dominant fashion with back-to-back rounds of eight-under-par golf.

UNA's first and second round scores of eight-under-par 280 is tied for the third-lowest rounds this season and is the 11th-lowest rounds of the Division I era. This comes in a day where head coach Austin Phillips is on leave as he and his wife welcomes their newborn son. This led to assistant coach Preston Holmes stepping in as acting head coach for the tournament. 

"For Preston to step in in these extreme circumstances just shows the type of person and coach he is," said head coach Austin Phillips. "I am proud of how he had to step up to be a tournament director and a head coach at the same time in his first season. I am proud of him and the team and will go out tomorrow and continue this level of play. "

Sophomore Andrew Ferworn picked up where he left off at the Cullan Brown Collegiate, where he won the individual crown. Ferworn led all players with a 66 scorecard in both round one and round two to finalize a 12-under day in Killen. This ties the lowest back-to-back rounds in Division I tournament history which was set last month in the GMAC Invitational by junior Xing Luo.

Ferworn's six-under-par 66 first round is tied for the second-lowest round in the Division I era. His 66 number is tied for the lowest round by a Division I North Alabama player at Turtle Point along with Aaron Jackson in 2019 and Henry Frizzell in 2023. 

Junior Blake Henriques follows the lead as he is tied 10th with a three-under day — his best two-round finish this season. Luo and junior Corey Maher are also in the top-25 for the Lions with three-under and even scorecards, respectively. Junior Sebastian Bengtsson concludes his first two rounds with a four-over, but adds five birdies to the list. 

North Alabama showed it was their home grass, knocking in 37 birdies for the first two rounds to lead the tournament. Ferworn and Maher added two eagles to push the lead even further. The GMAC Invitational saw 45 birdies between the first two rounds, and the Cullan Brown Collegiate had 20. 

Senior Chase Kaiser and junior Cory Abbott competed as individuals at the home tournament on Monday. Kaiser finished tied for 15th with a one-under day totaling six birdies for a steady outing. Abbott finished 15-over on the day. 

UNA dominated the par-four holes with a 12-stroke lead at three-under. They finished top-three in both par-three and par-five holes while tying for second with eagles on the day. While leading the field for pars with 115, UNA was also the only team under 33 bogeys with 23 between the two rounds.

"Guys played great today," said acting head coach Preston Holmes. "They played nice and relaxed with no added pressure despite being the home tournament. Although we have cushion on the lead, tomorrow is a new day we're still going to play to our highest potential and keep the pedal down."

There were 10 teams in the field. Only one other team, Jacksonville State, came in under par on the first day with a one-under. West Florida rounds out the top-three with a three-over par day. Stephen F. Austin, Samford "A" and Montevallo slot in at four, five and six with 13-over, 15-over and a 17-over, respectively. Western Illinois, Alabama A&M, Wallace State and Samford "B" close out the field. Jax State and Montevallo are the only two teams outside of North Alabama to record an under-par round. 

North Alabama continues its annual Turtle Point Invite at the Turtle Point Yacht & Country Club in Killen, Ala. on Tuesday, Oct. 15 where round three will conclude the tournament. 

Turtle Point Invite
Turtle Point Yacht & Country Club

Team Leaderboard - First & Second Round Official
1. North Alabama         560 -16
2. Jacksonville State     575 -1
3. West Florida             579 +3
4. Stephen F. Austin     589 +13
5. Samford A                591 +15
6. Montevallo               593 +17
7. Western Illinois        595 +19
8. Alabama A&M         597 +21
9. Wallace State          602 +26
10. Samford B             606 +30

North Alabama Golfers - First & Second Round Official 

1. Andrew Ferworn              132 | -12
T10. Blake Henriques          141 | -3 
T15. Xing Luo                      143 | -1
*T15. Chase Kaiser             143 | -1
T21. Corey Maher                144 | E
T38. Sebastian Bengtsson  148 | +4
*T68. Cory Abbott                159 | +15

For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.