Nov. 3, 2008

SAPPHIRE, N.C. - Samford's senior men's golfer Bobby Baird carded a team-best score of 70 (36-34) on Monday to lead the Bulldogs to an 11th-place finish at the 2008 Hummingbird Intercollegiate hosted by Western Carolina University at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley.

Baird, Samford's native of Knoxville, Tenn., shot a 1-under on Monday and finished the day in a five-way tie for fourth place in the individual standings. The Bulldogs' senior is only three shots out of first place behind UCF's David Johnson who carded a tournament-best score of 4-under 67 (33-34).

As a team, Samford turned in an opening-round score of 302, a mark well within striking distance of a top-five finish. Radford University is currently the fifth-place team in the tournament with a first-round total of 295.

Leading the team portion of the 2008 Hummingbird Intercollegiate is UCF with a combined score of 3-under 281. In second place following day one's competition is Vanderbilt with a total team score of 283.

Along with Baird's team-leading mark of 70 on Monday, Samford's Martin Bunt shot a first-round score of 76 (40-36), while Ian Cutting and Tyler Baird both followed with identical scores of 78. Senior Andrew Villarreal followed closely with a day one total of 79 (42-37).

The Samford University men's golf team will resume play in the 2008 Hummingbird Intercollegiate on Tuesday at the Country Club of Sapphire Valley. The two-day competition is being hosted by Western Carolina University.