Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Golfweek/AGT Intercollegiate
Herd Men’s Golf Tied For Lead At Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge
3/31/2025 4:11:00 PM | Men's Golf
Thomas’ 5-under 67 completed strong 1st day effort at True Blue
PAWLEY'S ISLAND, S.C. – Marshall senior Clayton Thomas shot a 5-under 67 to lead a banner day for Marshall Men's Golf at the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge at True Blue Golf Course in Pawley's Island, South Carolina.
Thomas' effort combined with a performance in which all team members shot par or better as the Herd finished the day at 12-under – one of the best single-day rounds in program history.
"I knew that once all five guys got going in the right direction, days like today were possible," Marshall Men's Golf head coach Matt Grobe said. "This is a team that really handles situations well. They don't look ahead and they don't look back."
Thomas finished the day with five birdies, including a stretch in which he birdied four of five holes.
The Herd started on No. 10 and Thomas gained momentum with a birdie on No. 15 and another on No. 18 that propelled him into the turn. He followed with birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 4 to put him to 5-under. Thomas later scrambled to save pars on Nos. 5 and 9 from difficult locations to earn the bogey-free card.
"Golf is really hard and I've played the worst golf I've probably played in five years in the last three weeks, so I stepped away from it for a bit and, today, I hit driver really well."
Cameron Jarvis and Ryan Bilby each finished with a pair of 3-under 69s as well with Jarvis leading the team in birdies with six and Bilby birdieing three of his final five holes of the day to gain momentum heading into Tuesday.
J.F. Aber also found a groove late, birdieing two of his final three holes of the day to finish at 1-under while Joseph Kalaskey finished at Even-par 72 and provided the day's biggest highlight when he spun back a 90-yard wedge for an eagle on No. 10 - his first hole of the day – to get the Herd's day off to a successful start.
Jarvis said that the team's performance on the final day of the 2024 tournament gave the team confidence coming into the event. That round was rained out with three holes to play and the Herd at 3-under, but even though it didn't count in the standings, it left the Herd with a lot of confidence coming into Monday's first round.
"With the exception of Tyler Jones, it is the same team we had last year and we sub in now J.F. Aber, who is an incredible, fantastic golfer," Jarvis said. "We came here with a lot of confidence because we knew we could score here. Off the tee, we're probably one of the longest and straightest teams off the tee in our conference, so we knew we could score here."
In the team standings, Marshall took the clubhouse lead before Jacksonville State came through in the afternoon to match the Herd's mark of 12-under in the team competition.
Marshall looks to continue its strong start to the tournament as the team gets second round play underway on Tuesday morning.
For live scoring of the 2025 Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge, please click HERE.
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Players Mentioned
