Colonels close out day 1 of Atchafalaya Intercollegiate

The Nicholls State University golf team put together some of its best play in the third annual Atchafalaya Intercol-legiate early on with a 2-under 286 in the first round, but by the end of the day, the Colonels slipped to fifth place in the eight-team tournament at The Atchafalaya at Idlewild.
After shooting in the red and trailing first-place ULM and UIW by just five strokes following the opening round, the Colonels carded a 298 to finish at 8-over and in fifth place after 36 holes.
Pacing the Colonels was sophomore Baker Stevenson, who shot a 2-over 146 on the day and heads into the final round in 14th place. Stevenson posted the best round for Nicholls, recording a 3-under 69 in the first 18 holes. Peyton McCulloch also shot under at -1 to help fuel the hot start.
McCulloch, Josh Fullilove and Jack Lee all finished with 147s, while Chad Watts-Denyes was close behind with a 149. Nicholls also had three players competing as individuals – Jamison Thomassee (150), Albert Badosa-Soler (150) and Emil Ragnarsson (159).
Fullilove led the team with six birdies, while McCulloch was one of 14 players in the field to record an eagle, which came on Par 5, Hole 13 in the first round.
ULM enters the final round with a commanding 17-stroke advantage at 12-under. ULM’s Joao Girao and Hogan Arey are tied with UCA’s Lewis George for the individual lead at 5-under 139.
The third round teed off around 8 a.m. Tuesday. For updates on the Colonel golf team, follow along on Twit-ter @Nicholls_GOLF.