SAVANNAH, Ga. — The No. 15 Wittenberg men's golf team opened its spring schedule on Monday with the first day of play in a loaded field at the Savannah Invitational and Port City Classic. Play was suspended due to darkness in both events as teams were playing through the second of two scheduled rounds for the day.

The Basics

• Venue: The Club at Savannah Harbor - Savannah, Ga., Par 72, Yardage: 6,851
• The tournament is comprised of three rounds with 36 holes being played on Monday and the final 18 holes on Tuesday.
• The tournament features 15 of the top 25 teams in the latest Bushnell/Golfweek NCAA Division III Coaches Poll, which was released March 1. Joining No. 15 Wittenberg are No. 1 Methodist, No. 2 Emory, No. 3 Oglethorpe, No. 5 Lynchburg, No. 6 Carnegie Mellon, No. 10 Washington & Lee, No. 12 Sewanee, No. 16 Averett, No. 18 Christopher Newport, No. 20 Huntingdon, No. 21 Guilford, No. 22 RPI, No. 24 Greensboro and No. 25 Kenyon.
• Wittenberg's B Team competed at the Port City Classic at the Savannah Country Club in Savannah, Ga. The Port City Classic is following the same format as the Savannah Invitational with 36 holes on Monday and 18 more on Tuesday. It is a 6,715-yard, par-71 course.

The Tournaments

• Wittenberg played 30 of the scheduled 36 holes on Monday, finishing the day in 12th place of 19 teams with a score of 4-over-par.
• No. 2 Emory leads the team standings with a score of 15-under-par through 31 holes. Tied for second with a score of 11-under-par are No. 10 Washington & Lee (through 30 holes) and No. 1 Methodist (through 32 holes).
• Wittenberg shot an opening-round score of 290. Junior Jake Yarbrough (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) led the Tigers with a 3-under-par 69. Senior J.F. Aber (Pittsburgh, Pa./Sewickley Academy) shot an even-par 72, senior Nicklaus Pidgeon (Homeworth, Oh/West Branch) shot a 2-over-par 74, sophomore Mark Sulek (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes) shot a 3-over-par 75 and junior Joshua Wright (Wadsworth, Ohio/Akron Hoban) shot a 9-over-par 81.
• As of the time play was suspended, Aber was tied for eighth overall in the 95-man field at 4-under-par, and Yarbrough was tied for 19th at 1-under-par.
• At the Port City Classic, which was also suspended due to darkness, Wittenberg's B team closed the day in 11th place of 17 teams with a score of 32-over-par through 30 holes. Freshman Owen Cotterman (Columbus, Ohio/Worthington Kilbourne) shot an opening-round 3-over-par 74 to go with a 5-over-par 76 from senior Grant Klepitsch (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) to lead the Tigers. When play was suspended, Cotterman (1-over-par) and Klepitsch (8-over-par) were tied for second and tied for 34th, respectively, in the 94-man field. Other Tigers competing in this tournament included juniors Ryan Miller (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) and Austin Georger (Appleton, Wis./West) and freshman Caleb Domitrovich (McDonald, Ohio/McDonald).

Quote - Head coach David Wetterich

• "The teams were excited to back into warmer weather and competition for the spring. They've all shown great amounts of dedication, and it's great to see them finally showcase the work they've put in since the start of the season. Day 1 in Savannah had several guys step up and perform well. We're looking forward to seeing more great play from the whole team the rest of the week and into the spring season."

Up Next

• The Tigers return to action on Tuesday to close out the Savannah Invitational and Port City Classic.