GAINESVILLE – The No. 2 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's golf team sits in first place out of 15 teams after hosting day one of the 4th Annual Mizuno Intercollegiate at Chattahoochee Golf Club on Monday.

The field for the fourth installment of UNG's home tournament is stacked once again this season. Ten of the 15 teams in the field are currently ranked in the top 16 of the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Coaches Poll. Fourteen of the 15 competing teams are ranked or receiving votes in the poll. 

The field is also headlined by the defending NCAA Division II National Champions and No. 1 West Florida Argonauts as well we as other top-10 members including No. 3 Lincoln Memorial (LMU), No. 5 Lee, No. 6 Georgia Southwestern, No. 9 Wingate and No. 10 USC Aiken (USCA). 

No. 16 Lander trails UNG by five shots in second place while Wingate (2-over), Lee (3-over) and USCA (4-over) round out the top five.

Junior Colby Bennett led the way for the Nighthawks in round one Monday as he posted a bogey-free, 2-under par 70. 

Sophomore Jack Rowe tied with Bennett for the best opening round for UNG in his first round of the season. The second-year Nighthawk used six birdies including two on his last three holes to also finish the opening round with a 2-under 70. He finished the day in 23rd place after a second-round 76.

While Bennett and Rowe were the top team-scoring members in round one, freshman Drew Sutherland made a splash in just his second collegiate tournament. The Stratford Academy graduate went bogey free at the 7,166-yard Chattahoochee Golf Club Monday morning. 

Competing as an individual, Sutherland carded three birdies in his last four holes to finish with four birdies in total. His 4-under 68 was the second-best opening round of the entire 81-player field.

Senior Hunter Smith had a smooth first 18 Monday morning as two birdies, 15 pars and one bogey resulted in a 1-under 71 to begin the tournament for the defending individual national champion.

Smith then exploded for four birdies and an eagle in round two to close Monday with a 4-under 68. He sits in a tie for third place individually heading into the final round Tuesday. 

Bennett also went nuclear in round two. The Greensboro, Ga. native finished one stroke shy of his personal-best 18-hole record with a 5-under 67 in round two. He posted seven birdies in total in the second round and holds a one-stroke lead over the field on the individual leaderboard. 

Junior Rhett Smith was the third and final Nighthawk to finish under par in the second round of the day. After shooting a 3-over 75 in round one, Smith carded four birdies to close with a 1-under 71 and in 23rd place Monday evening. 

The final round of the 54-hole Mizuno Intercollegiate will take place tomorrow morning, Tuesday, Sept. 16 with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. UNG is in search of its first ever victory at its own event since its inception back in 2022.