Hall has Tough R1, Turns Attention to Saturday Morning at Grayhawk

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Junior standout Ryan Hall had a frustrating opening round at the 2021 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship on Friday. He shot 73 (+3) and made just one birdie. Hall struck the ball exceptionally well, especially on the back, but he just couldn’t get any putts to drop.
 
“It was a tough and frustrating day for Ryan but I thought he made some good adjustments on the back nine,” said head coach Bill McDonald. “His game is in good form and he just needs a few putts to fall. The golf course is giving the field a good test and it’s a very challenging set-up overall.”
 
The Knoxville, Tenn., native made the turn at 3-over (38) and shot even (35) coming in. His first birdie came at the difficult par-3 13^th hole after he stuck a 6-iron from 230 yards out six-feet left of the flag. Hall had three more great birdie chances the next three holes (14-16) after great shots into the green but was unable to find the bottom of the cup with the flatstick.
 
He piped his drive down the fairway at the 520-yard, par-4 18^th but flew his approach with a 9-iron just over the green to a back pin. The ball rolled just into the deep rough. He mishit a delicate chip from 12-feet behind the flag and just missed the 8-foot par save, closing with a bogey. Hall was bogey free for 10-straight holes prior to that.
 
Distance control was an issue on the front nine but the duo of Hall and McDonlad felt like they figured things out finally coming into the clubhouse. Hall will have a favorable tee time in the morning, going off in the early wave at 11:22 a.m. ET. He will play alongside Michigan State’s James Piot (T-17^th, -1) and Jacksonville’s Michael Sakane (T-5^th, -2) again.
 
Live scoring all week is available via Golfstat. Fans are also encouraged to follow South Carolina men’s golf on Twitter (@GamecockMGolf) for live, shot-by-shot updates during Hall’s rounds.
 
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