Valparaiso University men's golf senior Anthony Delisanti (Sanborn, N.Y. / Niagara Wheatfield) finds himself in a familiar position near the top of the leaderboard through Monday's opening round at the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge, held at the par-72, 6970-yard True Blue Golf Course in Pawleys Island, S.C.
 
How It Happened

• Delisanti turned in a 65 (-7) in Round 1, eagling the par-5 ninth hole while going par or better on 17 of 18 holes including six birdies. He is one stroke behind Jacksonville State's Ryley Heath for the tournament lead and is even with Blake Henriques tied for second in a 93-player field.
• Golfing as an individual, Owen Sander (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) was the next-best Beacon with a 71 (-1). Sam Schmidt (College Station, Texas / College Station [South Nazarene]) was the third Beacon to card par or better, finishing the day tied for 43^rd with a 72 (E).
• As a team, the Beacons wrapped up Day 1 of the three-day event with a score of 286 (-2), tied for 11^th in a 17-team field. Marshall and Jacksonville State are tied atop the team leaderboard at 276 (-12).

Thoughts from Head Coach Dave Gring
"Our ball-striking today was one of the best that we have had all season. As an average, we hit 78 percent of our greens in regulation and we hit 77 percent of our fairways – incredible numbers for us. The efficiency was tremendous, but we didn't have enough approach shots within 15 feet.  The course management was excellent, but we need to hit more irons closer to the hole. We see this especially with our wedges and short irons from the fairway, and those need to be a lot closer for legitimate birdie opportunities. Another area that we need to improve significantly is our putting. We had two of our players with 37 putts for the round, while three of them were at 31 putts or better. Our 18 birdies for the round is solid, but we have the ability to be in the low to mid 20s as far as birdies for the team rounds."
 
"Anthony's ball-striking was very impressive again today. He hit 17 out of 18 greens and 11 out of 13 fairways in regulation. He was a perfect 2-for-2 in his up-and-downs with a total of 28 putts for the round. He's playing with a lot of confidence throughout all phases of his game, but especially with his approach shots to the hole. His proximity to the hole with his irons is excellent and he narrowly missed a handful of birdie opportunities inside of 15 feet."
 
Up Next
The tournament will continue on Tuesday with Round 2 in Myrtle Beach. A link to live scoring is available on ValpoAthletics.com.