PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (September 7, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's golf team finished day one in second place at the Golfweek Fall Challenge on Sunday at the True Blue Golf Course in Pawleys Island, S.C.
This tournament is three days compared to the typical two, so the Lions only played 18 holes for the day. The Lions finished second but had to climb up from as low as sixth on the opening day of the season.
As a team, North Alabama finished 10-under on for the first 18 holes. The Lions finished with 25 total birdies which led the tournament. The birdie total bested the tournament leader, Georgia Southern, by three.
UNA leads in par-threes for an average of 2.92, good for two-under for those holes. They are second in par-4s and tied for third in par-5s after the completion of day one.
Last season's highest ranked golfer in the Atlantic Sun Conference showed out in a big way, as Xing Luo claimed a tie for third at four-under to card a 68. Western Carolina owns both the one and two spots at six-under and five-under, respectively.
The senior leader Luo went head-to-head with 2024-25 ASUN Golfer of the Year, Patton Samuels, who finished in 61st with a three-over first round.
Luo led the field with seven birdies while true freshman Jedd Brady tied in second with six. Brady, at one point, was tied for third with Luo through the first nine holes. He sunk three birdies on each nine played as he finished with a 70 in his debut for a tie in 16th.
Walter Waineby made his collegiate debut alongside Brady, and like him, finished in a tie for 16th. The redshirt freshman logged four birdies and a mostly clean sheet otherwise outside of a couple of bogeys.
Senior Sebastian Bengtsson was the final Lion tied for 16th on the opening day, including four birdies for the Sweden native with seven pars and two birdies on the front nine.
Junior Andrew Ferworn finished in a tie for 36th as he broke an even 72 par for the morning. He posted four birdies and four bogeys in the opening round, two birdies on the front and back nine. Individual participant, Blake Henriques added three birdies for his day as he finished alongside Ferworn in a tie for 36th.
Georgia Southern leads the way for the tournament at 12-under, just two shots ahead of North Alabama who closes in second.
The Lions best the third-place finishers Nevada and Tennessee Tech as they are tied at nine-under.
Tennessee Tech, Western Carolina and Loyola-Chicago all experienced an inclement weather delay for their final three holes at 1:38 p.m.
Mercer stood alone in fifth at six-under while USC Upstate and Western Carolina tied for sixth at five-under. Ball State slotted into eighth while Loyola claimed ninth. The first ASUN team behind UNA, Central Arkansas, claimed tied in ninth with an even day. Presbyterian finished one-over for 11th while East Texas A&M and Austin Peay tied for last with a four-over day.
"We didn't have our best stuff today and could never get any momentum going, but still solid," said The Schmitz Family Head Men's Golf Coach, Austin Phillips. "Anytime you are dropping an even par, you will be okay. The depth of this team is crazy good and it showed today. I believe we will kick it into gear over these next few days, and we will hit our potential."
UNA continues the tournament tomorrow, Sept. 8 starting at 7:30 a.m. at True Blue Golf Resort. Pairings will be made available later today.
Golfweek Fall Challenge
True Blue Golf Resort
Team Leaderboard
1. Georgia Southern 276 -12
2. North Alabama 278 -10
T3. Nevada 279 -9
T3. Tennessee Tech 279 -9
5. Mercer 282 -6
T6. USC Upstate 283 -5
T6. Western Carolina 283 -5
8. Ball State 284 -4
T9. Loyola-Chicago 288 E
T9. Central Ark. 288 E
11. Presbyterian 289 +1
T12. Austin Peay 292 +4
T12. East Texas A&M 292 +4
North Alabama Golfers
T3. Xing Luo 68 | -4
T16. Jedd Brady 70 | -2
T16. Walter Waineby 70 | -2
T16. Sebastian Bengtsson 70 | -2
T36. Andrew Ferworn 72 | E
T36. Blake Henriques 72 | E
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
