February 11, 1999

KONA, Hawaii - Georgia Tech's golf team opened the first day of the Taylor Made Big Island Invitational by taking a nine stroke lead, as junior Carlton Forrester (Gainesville, Ga.) was the clubhouse leader after carding a 64. Sophomore Bryce Molder (Conway, Ark.) finished second on the day, as he fired a 65 to help the Yellow Jackets grab the top spot.

Tech played the 6,566-yard, par 70 Beach Course and will move to the 6,594-yard, par 72 King's Course Friday, both of which are in Wiakola. The Jackets, ranked No. 6 in MasterCard Collegiate Golf Foundation poll, also received a 70 from freshman Kris Mikkelsen (Woodstock, Ga.), a 71 from junior Matt Kuchar (Lake Mary, Fla.) and a 74 from sophomore Wes Latimer (Woodstock, Ga.).

"We had a solid first day," said head coach Bruce Heppler. "Carlton and Bryce played really well and we started on the course that produced the lowest scores today. Matt Kuchar had an average day and we'll need him to step it up a notch. It was a good way to start the tournament."

Play continues with 18 holes Friday and Saturday.

First Round Team Results:

1.   Georgia Tech     270
2.   Arizona State    279
     UCLA             279
4.   Arkansas         281
5.   Pepperdine       284
     Washington       284
7.   TCU              287
8.   SMU              289
9.   UNLV             290
     Nevado-Reno      290
11.  Oregon St.       291
12.  Hawaii-Hilo      296
13.  Southern Cal     299
     UTEP             299
     Texas A&M        299   
16.  Air Force        200
     Oregon           300
18.  UC-Santa Barbara 301
19.  Nagoya           304
20.  Manoa            305
21.  Arizona          310
22.  Nihon            312
23.  San Francisco    313

Tech Results:

Carlton Forrester  64
Bryce Molder       65
Kris Mikkelsen     70
Matt Kuchar        71
Wes Latimer        74