ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The IUPUI men's golf team had a strong start to its spring slate on Monday (Feb. 19) and is tied for sixth among 18 teams competing at this week's World Golf Village Collegiate at King & Bear Golf Course. Teams were on the cusp of completing Monday's second round when play was halted due to darkness. 

Tuesday's play will resume at 8:00 a.m. with continuous play and the final round beginning at approximately 8:30 a.m.

Senior Taylor Gardner shot an opening round, 6-under 66 and is at 5-under for the tournament after shooting 1-over through 16 holes in round two. Gardner's opening round was flawless as he had six birdies and 12 pars in his bogey free round. 

"It felt good to get down in some warm weather and play," Gardner said. "It was good to see the team compete with a good field. We are still knocking some rust off, but looking forward to what this team can do this semester."

IUPUI shot 290 as a team in round one, fueled by Gardner's 66. Freshman Brady Schier shot 1-over 73 and senior Kevin Tillery rode a hot start to 3-over 75. He started his round 4-under through five holes and made six birdies in his opening round. Freshman Titus Boswell rounded out the scoring group at 4-over 76 and Colten Girgis shot 80. Morgan Tournemire notched a first round 78 while playing as an individual. 

Schier led the way in round two at 1-under through 16 holes, including three straight birdies early in the round. Gardner was at 1-over and both Tillery and Girgis sit at 2-over through 16 holes. Boswell is 5-over through 15 holes and Tournemire is 1-over from the individual spot. 

IUPUI ranks among the tournament leaders with 29 birdies while scoring incredibly well on the par 3's. Gardner made nine birdies on Monday while Schier and Tillery made eight each. 

Jacksonville State leads the team standings at 9-under while Stetson is second at 3-under par. JSU's Erik Jansson surged out to the individual lead at 14-under par and is eight shots clear of second place heading into Tuesday's finale. 

Gardner is tied for third and Schier is tied for 16th among the 108-player field.