Team Standings | Individual Leaderboard

HAMPDEN, Mass. - Tony Liu played the best round of his career and put both himself and Rhode Island at the top of the heap after the first round of the UConn Invitational at GreatHorse Sunday.

With Liu firing a 4-under 68 in the opening round, the Rams were able to finish the day in first place in the 14-team standings, one stroke ahead of a trio of teams. Rhody is plus-6 as a team, while Providence, Bryant and Fairfield were all plus-7. Rounding out the top five is St. John's with a team score of plus-12.

Liu was nothing short of spectacular. He carded five birdies and was bogey free until the final hole of the day. Liu had birdies on holes two, five, eight, 11 and 17. He took advantage of the par-5 holes, delivering birdies on three of the four on the course.

He leads Callan Fahey of Providence by one stroke. They were the only two in the 84-player field to finish under par for the round.

"Tony played like the player I recruited to be number one," Rhode Island head coach coach Gregg Burke said. "There is no low score he might shoot that would surprise me. Josiah Tong played some tremendous golf and I always have to remember he is playing and changing a culture at the same time. His best golf is ahead of him."

Josiah Tong and Jack Quinn are just outside of the top 10 i and tied for 11th place at 2-over par. Tong's day was varied, with four birdies and an eagle, but also six bogeys and a double bogey. He was among the top three on the leaderboard for most of the day until finishing 4-over over his final four holes.

Quinn was steady through his first seven holes, recording six pars ad a birdie on hole six to sit at 1-under par. He hit a rough patch with four bogeys in a six-hole span from holes 8-13, but an eagle on the 14th hole helped him salvage the back nine.

"The conditions and circumstance were both challenging today.  I think Josiah as captain has created a discipline and toughness we've lacked," Burke said. "But at the end of the day, we are three players strong and aching for two to stand up. Jack is simply one of the best players ever at URI. It sounds lofty but he is worthy of that. How hard he works and how much he accepts advice on how to play will determine how far he can go."

Rhody's fourth score came from Sebastian Carlsson, who finished 6-over par for the round and is tied for 44th place overall. He bogeyed six of his first 10 holes, but Carlsson settled down later. A birdie on hole 14 helped him play even for the final eight holes.

Also playing for Rhode Island were Owen Rooney and Mihir Roperia. Rooney was plus-7 on the day, one stroke behind Carlsson's score. Making his collegiate debut and entered as an individual, Roperia finished 11-over par.

"We've given Seb, Owen, and Bennett Masterson at least two chances each and are now giving Mihir one," Burke said. "It is in their hands to make our decisions going forward easy. We're already at the point where individuals have to embrace opportunity or fade under the spotlight. We can win this, but people have to commit to every shot for us to do so."

Round two of the UConn Invitational will begin Monday morning at 8 a.m. Rhode Island will be paired with Providence and Bryant, with the first groups teeing off at 10:10 a.m.

UConn Invitational at GreatHorse
Team Standings (Through First Round)
1. Rhode Island - 294
t-2. Providence - 295
t-2. Bryant - 295
t-2. Fairfield - 295
5. St. John's - 300
6. Boston College - 302
7. Holy Cross - 304
t-8. Lafayette - 310
t-8. Siena - 310
t-10. Sacred Heart - 311
t-10. UConn - 311
12. Villanova - 312
13. Merrimack - 316
14. Fairleigh Dickinson - 318