Site: Verona, Wis.
Course: University Ridge Golf Course (Par 72, 7,259 yards)
Tournament: 2021 Badger Invitational
HPU Team Standing: T-11th of 14 teams (298, +10)
Top HPU Individual: Christian Castillo (73, +1), T-24th
Next HPU Round: Monday, September 26 -- at Badger Invitational, Round Two (Verona, Wis.)

VERONA, Wis. -- The High Point University men's golf team completed the first round of the 2021 Badger Invitational with a 10-over 298 at University Ridge Golf Course on Sunday (Sept. 26).
 
High Point is within striking distance as only two teams went under par on the day. Third place after 18 holes is at two-over, putting the Panthers just eight shots out of a top-three finish after the first round.
 
"We have to look at the big picture here," head coach Brady Gregor said after his team's opening round in Wisconsin. "We're only eight shots out of third and that's only a hole or two in college golf. We just have to be a little bit better and pick up a few shots here and there. We're looking for a good one on moving day tomorrow."
 
Christian Castillo used another slew of pars to his advantage, picking up 13 of them with two birdies and three bogeys for a team-best 73 and a share of 24th place. Stuart Fuller did him one better in the par department with 14 on the day - tied for the second-most among the field - but only had one birdie with two bogeys and a double for a 75 and a tie for 45th. Adam Hooker and Charlie Barr are tied with Fuller for 45th after 18 holes and each had three birdies in the round. Avery Price finished Sunday one stroke behind the trio with a 76 and led the Panthers with five birdies, tied for the fifth-most among all 81 golfers.
 
Castillo started out with a bogey on the first hole and he bookended the front with another on hole nine after seven straight pars. He picked up his first birdie of the tournament on the par-5 11th and notched his second of the round on the other long hole on the back - the 16th. He gave one back with a bogey on 18 but the two birdies on the back were enough to give him the only set of nine holes under par for the Panthers in round one.
 
Fuller took a double on the first hole of the day and also parred holes 2-7 before picking up his only birdie on hole nine. He picked up seven more pars on the back and bogeyed 13 and 16 for his 38 on the back - one of four HPU golfers to shoot a 38 on the back - and 75 on the day.
 
Hooker carded two of his birdies on the front and got them both in the final four holes, sandwiched around a bogey and a double. He had a stretch of three straight bogeys on the back before rebounding with a bogey on 16 to finish three-over.  Barr only had one bogey on the front to go with two bogeys for one of three rounds of +1 on the front for High Point. The freshman took a triple on the 10th hole before finishing the final eight holes at one-under thanks to two birdies and a bogey.
 
Price had the most up-and-down round for the Purple and White with only six total pars. He started the day off with a birdie, one of just nine on the day on the opening hole, before getting his second of the round on seven. The front nine for Price also included two bogeys and a double. He started the back with a double and then had back-to-back bogeys on 13 and 14 before going two-under over the final four holes with three birdies and one final bogey.
 
Sam Houston State leads the field after 18 holes with a 280 (-8) on day one. Illinois State is the only other team under par after the Redbirds finished with a two-under, 286 on Sunday. Eastern Michigan's Marcus Smith and Sam Houston's Jack Randle are tied for the individual lead after firing a pair of 69s.
 
High Point is in the last group to go off the back in round two on Monday (Sept. 27) and will tee off on 10 with Xavier and Wisconsin during the 11:00 ET hour (10:00 CT).