thLed by a strong three-under 69 opening round by sophomore Wilhelm Schauman, the 35th-ranked University of Minnesota men's golf team ended day one of the 2001 NCAA Central Regional in a tie for fourth place with a one-round total of 292. Schauman, in a tie for fifth place in the 54-hole event, was the lone Golden Gopher to fire a round of sub-par golf on the par 72, 7,027-yard trak at Karsten Creek Golf Course in Stillwater, Okla.

As a team, the Golden Gophers stand tied for fourth place at 292 with Ohio State, Baylor, and defending NCAA Champion and tournament host Oklahoma State. The Maroon and Gold trail first-day leader Kent State at 289, and second-place Texas A&M and the College of Charleston at 291. Big Ten Champion Northwestern shot an uncharacteristic round of 304 (+16) to stand in 25th place after the first day.

In addition to Schauman's exceptional opening round, freshman Justin Smith began the tournament with a one-over 73 to place in a tie for 25th place after 18 holes. Rounding out the Golden Gopher results are sophomore Joe Affrunti at 74, sophomore Ben Meyers at 76 and freshman Simon Nash at 77. Andy Stewart of Kansas grabbed the day one lead with a six-under 66.

The regional is one of three tournaments that will determine the participants for the 2001 NCAA Men's Golf Championships at the Duke University Golf Club in Durham, N.C., from May 30-June 2. Minnesota is one of 27 teams in the Central Regional competing for 10 spots in the NCAA Championships. The Golden Gophers finished in fifth place at last year's regional tournament and advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Championships.

The second round of the NCAA Central Regional continues Friday, March 18, at 7:12 a.m. Live tournament results are available at www.okstate.com or www.golfstat.com.

NCAA Central Regional Karsten Creek Golf Course Stillwater, Okla. Par: 72 Yardage: 7,027 18-Hole Team Results Team Scores Kent State 289 +1 Texas A&M 291 +3 Charleston 291 +3 Minnesota 292 +4 Ohio State 292 +4 Oklahoma State 292 +4 Baylor 292 +4 Houston 293 +5 Oklahoma 293 +5 Augusta State 293 +5 Texas 294 +6 Tulsa 297 +9 Purdue 297 +9 North Florida 298 +10 Colorado 298 +10 Southern Methodist 299 +11 North Carolina 299 +11 Louisiana-Lafayette 300 +12 Lamar 301 +13 Toledo 301 +13 Arkansas State 302 +14 Wichita State 302 +14 Arkansas-Little Rock 303 +15 Kansas 303 +15 Northwestern 304 +16 TCU 309 +21 Jackson State 333 +45 NCAA Central Regional Karsten Creek Golf Course Stillwater, Okla. Par: 72 Yardage: 7,027 18-Hole Individual Results Player School Scores Andy Stewart Kansas 66 -6 Jon Mills Kent State 67 -5 Mike Austin Ohio State 68 -4 John Klauk Texas 68 -4 Wilhelm Schauman Minnesota 69 -3 Jimmy Walker Baylor 69 -3 Matt McQuillan Oklahoma State 70 -2 John Limanti North Florida 70 -2 Kyle Bradley Charleston 70 -2 Martin Flores Oklahoma 70 -2 Golden Gopher Scores Place Player Scores T5 Wilhelm Schaman 69 -3 T25 Justin Smith 73 +1 T37 Joe Affrunti 74 +2 T77 Ben Meyers 76 +4 T88 Simon Nash 77 +5