THOMASVILLE, Ga. (March 10, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's golf team finished day one in third place at the Seminole Intercollegiate on Monday at the Glen Arven Country Club in Thomasville, Ga. The Lions post their best two round team total in Division I era with a 553 overall score. 

Juniors Sebastian Bengtsson and Xing Luo, as well as sophomore Andrew Ferworn, all finished inside the top-10. 

The Lions played extremely well from start to finish, as Bengtsson, Ferowrn and Luo started and finished inside the top-10 today. Bengtsson finished round one with score of 69 to finish tied for eighth before he found a 68 to jump into a tie for sixth — the best Lion of the day. 

Bengtsson shot below 70 in consecutive rounds for the first time in his North Alabama career. This also marks the first time he has shot below 70 in two rounds during his career. 

Ferworn found himself as high as fourth at one point after round one where he posted a 68. He then followed that up with a 70 for a 138 total as he finished in a tie for 10th. Luo was in the same position as Ferworn with a 138 but posted a 69-69 day one to tie with his teammate. 

Chase Kaiser rose from a tie in 31st to a tie in 27th by the end of round two, with a two-over par day for a grand total of 142. Blake Henriques started slow, but finished strong as he rose the most spots of any UNA golfer by 16. He shot 78 the first round, but shot one-under in round two to jump from 78th to 62nd. Henriques 69 in round two is his lowest during his North Alabama tenure. 

Four of the five Lions had at least one round that they shot under par.

As the Lions played well individually, it collectively came together with the lowest two-round total during the Division I era with a 553 overall day one finish. The next closest were the first two rounds of the GMAC Invitational in the Fall of 2024 when the Lions finished with a 555. 

North Alabama only trails the host team, Florida State, and Troy who are in first and second, respectively. UNA shot near identical rounds with a 277 round one and a 276 round two for seven-under through the two rounds. 

Florida State, who boasts the the number one amateur golfer according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings in Luke Clanton, finished with a 544 overall score. Troy, is right behind them with a 546 team score. After the first round, the Lions and Trojans were tied for second with 277 apiece. 

Augusta moved from seventh to fourth, just behind North Alabama at the conclusion of day one. FGCU remained in fifth with two ASUN members Stetson and Lipscomb in sixth and seventh respectively. FAU nudged up from ninth to land in eighth while Arkansas rallied back from a 14th spot to ninth on the day.

Wisconsin solidified the top-10 while Southern Miss, Western Kentucky, Furman, UNCW and North Texas rounded out the final teams for the field of 15. 

North Alabama was masterful when it came to birdies as they led the field with 39 total — 19 of which came from the top-two Lions in Bengtsson and Ferworn who had nine and 10, respectively. Ferworn's 10 was tied for the second most amongst players, Clanton had the most with 13. UNA had 24 in the second round alone. 

"We really had to change our approach and perspective of things for this week," said The Schmitz Family Head Men's Golf Coach, Austin Phillips. "I realized how results based I was getting and the team was getting, and how that was hurting us. I'm proud of the bounce back and the continued fight today. We will have some fun tomorrow and give it our all."

UNA finishes the tournament tomorrow starting at 10:15 a.m. at Glen Arden Country Club. After his outstanding day, Bengtsson will compete directly with No. 1 ranked amateur Luke Clanton in pairings starting at 10:51 a.m.

Seminole Intercollegiate
Glen Arven Country Club

Team Leaderboard
1. Florida State    589    +13
2. Troy            589    +13
3. North Alabama    592    +16
4. Augusta        592    +16
5. FGCU        593    +17
6. Stetson        596    +20
7. Lipscomb        597    +21
8. FAU            609    +33
9. Arkansas        611     +35
10. Wisconsin        613    +37
11. Southern Miss    614    +38
12. WKU        619    +43
13. Furman        620    +44
14. UNCW        629    +53
15. North Texas    630    +54

North Alabama Golfers
T6. Sebastian Bengtsson    137 | -3
T10. Andrew Ferworn        138| -2
T10. Xing Luo            138| -2
T27. Chase Kaiser        142 | +2 
T62. Blake Henriques        147 | +7

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