PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – No. 13-ranked Columbus State University men's golf opened play at the NCAA Division II National Championship on Monday with a solid performance, finishing the first round at one-over in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Bernard Meyer led the charge for the Cougars, firing a three-under 69 to place himself tied for fifth individually at the par-72, 7,074-yard Champions Course at the PGA National Resort. CSU sits tied for fourth in the team standings alongside North Georgia and Missouri S&T with a first-round total of 289.

Meyer opened with a birdie on the first hole and recorded a bogey on the par-4 second. After the first two holes, Meyer finished the round with three birdies and closed out the back nine with birdies on the 17th and 18th holes.

Martin Gruendemann continued his consistent postseason play, shooting a one-under 71. Gruendemann marked a clean 34 on the front half of his round, posting a birdie and two bogeys on the back to finish with a 37 for a T-11th finish after day one.

Pate Stansell provided a solid round for CSU, turning in an even-par 72, splitting the day with a pair of bogeys and two birdies. Stansell balanced out his round after a one-over front nine with a 35 on the back.

Russell Makepeace and Frederick Chappell battled through challenging stretches on day one. Makepeace finished at five-over 77 despite opening with three birdies on the front nine. Chappell started off slow and managed to regain some momentum on holes 11 and 17 to finish with a seven-over 79.

Next Up

• Columbus State looks to rest up and will take on the second round tomorrow with the first Cougar set to tee off at 11:10 a.m. ET.