LAKE GENEVA, Wis. ­— First-year Thomas Lyaudet provided four of the seven birdies sunk by the Knox men's golf team during the first round of the University of Wisconsin-Stout Fall Invite at the Highlands Course at Grand Geneva Resort, leading the Prairie Fire with a 1-over 72 as Knox wrapped up the day in 14th place as a team at 23-over par in the 22-team field.

Starting on the par-3 seventh hole in the shotgun start, Lyaudet went right to work with a birdie. He got as low as 2-under in his round with three holes to play before sputtering at the end, though he managed to end in a tie for eighth, four strokes behind the leader, Carter Ruegsegger of the University of Dubuque.

Junior Pranav Nandakumar struggled out of the gate with a bogey and two doubles in his first five holes, but he settled in from there, making par on each of his final 13 holes to close the day with a 5-over 76 and leaving him in a tie for 39th. 

• Other golfers contributing to the Knox total were first-year Diego Carrillo (7-over 78) and sophomore Nathaniel Zug (10-over 81).
• The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (+8) holds a slim one-stroke lead over Aurora with two other teams within five strokes.

The second and final round will tee off with another shotgun start beginning at 9 a.m. Both Lyaudet and Nandakumar will start from on the back nine with the 10th hole.