Millard shines in first round at Mason Rudolph event

Craig Smith returned to the Blue Raider lineup for the Mason Rudolph Championship after being sidelined almost six months during successful rehab for a back injury. (B. Lambert)

FRANKLIN - Sophomore Jason Millard shot 2-under 69 in the first round of the Mason Rudolph Championship and his stellar play leaves him tied for sixth entering Saturday's second round at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin.

Unfortunately, for Middle Tennessee, Millard was the only Blue Raider to play the challenging course below par and the team stumbled to a 10-over 294 and is 11th among the 18-team field.

The Blue Raiders opened on the back nine and shot 5-over to set the tone for an uncustomary slow start and followed that by shooting 5-over on the front. Millard's strong play and the return of junior Craig Smith to the links in a tournament for the first time in six months after recovering from a back injury suffered during the spring were Middle Tennessee's highlights.

Seniors Chas Narramore and Rick Cochran uncharacteristically combined to shoot 8-over.

It marked the second time in two fall tournaments Middle Tennessee has started slow. The Blue Raiders were in 11th after the first round of the Aldila/Scenic City Classic in Chattanooga two weeks ago but rallied to salvage a fifth-place finish.

"We dug ourselves another one of those holes in the first round and we will try to dig ourselves out in the next couple of days," head coach Whit Turnbow said. "Anytime my two seniors are 8-over combined we are not going to play very well. They have to understand their score is going to count just about every time we tee it up so they have to bring it every day. We will get back after it Saturday morning and start trying to chip away at this."

Millard was unyielding on the first day of the annual event. The All-American was 3-under on the back and closed with a 2-under to stand tied for sixth amongst the 90-player field. He birdied four holes, had a stellar sand save on No. 16 and turned in the highlight of his opening round when he chipped in for an eagle on 18.

Narramore was second among Blue Raider scorers with a 3-over 74 and is tied for 36th. His day was hampered by an atypical five bogeys, including four on the opening nine holes. He rallied to play the front a 1-over.

Smith fired a 4-over 75 in his first tournament since the Aldila Intercollegiate last April 1.

"It's good to have Craig back and he did what I thought he would do," Turnbow said. "Practice and qualifying is one thing but stepping between the lines and playing is another and this is something he has not done in almost six months. He will get a little better each round."

Cochran was 1-over through his first eight holes but suffered a triple bogey on 18 to slip to 4-over. He came back to play the front at 1-over. Freshman Brad Simons shot 7-over 78 and is tied for 76th.

The Blue Raiders begin teeing off, along with Mississippi State and Memphis, at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Mason Rudolph Championship
Vanderbilt Legends Club, Par-71
First Round Men's Team Scores
1 South Carolina 281 -3
2 Vanderbilt 283 -1
3 Arkansas State 284 E
4 Kentucky 285 +1
T5 Purdue 286 +2
T5 Kennesaw State 286 +2
7 South Alabama 288 +4
T8 Eastern Michigan 289 +5
T8 Western Carolina 289 +5
10 Mississippi State 291 +7
11 Middle Tennessee 294 +10
T12 Memphis 295 +11
T12 Belmont 295 +11
14 UNC-Greensboro 298 +14
15 Western Kentucky 300 +16
16 Iowa State 305 +21
17 Tennessee State 314 +30

11 MT Team Scores (294)
T6 Jason Millard 36-33 69 -2
T36 Chas Narramore 34-40 74 +3
T50 Craig Smith 39-36 75 +4
T59 Rick Cochran 36-40 76 +5
T76 Brad Simons 37-41 78 +7