PELLA, Iowa — At the end of the first round of the Central Fall Classic, Knox first-year Thomas Lyaudet found himself tied atop the leaderboard with four other players, carding a 2-under 70 at the Finkbine Golf Course. His performance helped the Prairie Fire end the day in fourth place in the 12-team field at 15-over par (303).
Lyaudet was 2-under after the front nine thanks to an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. On the back, he made par on six of the first eight holes with birdies on the other two, but a double bogey on the 18th caused him to fall back into a tie for the lead.
The rookie wasn't the only Knox golfer to end the day in the top 10 as junior Pranav Nandakumar tied for eighth with a 2-over 74. Consistency has been the name of his game all fall, and he made par on 14 holes and birdied another in his round.
- Junior Gabriel Newman (+6) and sophomore Nathaniel Zug (+9) rounded out the scoring for the Prairie Fire, each sinking one birdie.
- Luther College and Augustana College are tied for the team lead at 7-over par (295), eight strokes ahead of Knox.
- Carthage College sits in third at 13-over, two strokes ahead of the Prairie Fire.
The second and final round will tee off at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning.
