GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Sophomore Anthony Bolden carded a two-under par 69 to pace the Tusculum men's golf team to a 286 and the first day lead at the 2017 Bob Dibble Classic. The two-day, 36-hole event is being held at the par-71, 6,763-yard Link Hills Country Club. (Golfstat Results)
The Pioneers lead by two shots over second place Milligan College (288) and five strokes clear of the Belmont Abbey B team (291).
Bolden posts his second straight competitive round of 69 at Link Hills. He fired a 69 in the final round of last spring's Tusculum Invitational.
Austin Gliha of Belmont Abbey B carded the round of the day with his three-under par 68 and leads by one shot over Bolden and Walters State sophomore and Greeneville native Matt Dibella who each fired a 69.
Five players sit in a five-way tie for fourth place with 70, including Harry Butler (Mars Hill), Caleb Brown (Spartanburg Methodist), Tanner Harris (Tennessee Wesleyan) and the Milligan duo of Gibson Miller and Caleb Milligan.
Tusculum rookie Bennett Noe shot an even par 71 in his collegiate debut and is tied for ninth place with Milligan's Kodey Popplewell.
Tusculum senior Brandon Alexander posted a 73, along with teammate Hunter Chandley, who cards his best round as a Pioneer. The two are tied for 17th place. TC senior David Whinery rounded out the scoring for the Pioneers with a 76 and is tied for 32nd place.
Mars Hill shot 293 and is in fourth place, followed by Tennessee (Wesleyan (294), Walters State (295), Christian Brothers (297), Brevard (301), Belmont Abbey C (306), Spartanburg Methodist (308) and Tusculum B (322).
For Tusculum B, freshman Liam Sweeney is tied for 32nd with his 76, while rookie Matthew Kowalski is 41st with 77. Freshman Carter Simon is 54th with his 81, while Dylan Scalf shot 88 and is in 57th place.
Tusculum is vying for its third straight Dibble Classic (formerly the Tusculum Fall Classic) title, and seventh overall.
The final round will be played on Tuesday and will begin with a 10 a.m. shotgun start.
