AUGUSTA, Ga. – The No. 1 University of North Georgia men's golf team holds the top spot on the leaderboard upon completion of round one of the 2024 Peach Belt Conference Championship. The Nighthawks tore up 7,086-yard, par-72 Forest Hills Golf Club in the first round, combining to go 11-under-par as a team. UNG leads the field by five shots where No. 13 USC Aiken sits at six-under in second place, followed by No. 10 Lander at three-under. 

Head coach Bryson Worley, who was named the 2024 PBC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season Thursday, had three individuals finish below par in Friday's rounds. 

Graduate student Jack Vajda led the way for the Nighthawks with a bogey free, six-under-par 66 in the opening round to lead the entire 40-player field. 

Vajda was stellar in the first 18 holes on Friday. He got off to a hot start with three birdies in his first six holes to get to three-under. With a birdie at the par-5 9th hole, Vajda made the turn at four-under. His birdie at 9 also sparked a four hole stretch in which Vajda recorded a trio of birdies. He parred his way into the clubhouse and now sits alone atop the individual leaderboard with a one shot lead over the 2024 PBC Player of the Year, Lander's Linus Jonsson. 

The other two UNG golfers to finish below par in the opener were junior Hughes Threlkeld and graduate student Will Chambless. 

Threlkeld sits one stroke ahead of Chambless at T4 thanks to a three-under 69 Friday. He recorded four birdies in the round, three of which came on the back nine, and posted an eagle to lead to the good showing. At the 549-yard, par-5 6th, Vajda recorded the only eagle of the day on Forest Hills' sixth hole. 

Chambless, a 2024 PBC All-Conference First Team selection as the league announced Wednesday, combated three bogeys with five birdies for a two-under 70 in round one. Chambless birdied three of his final eight holes on his path to the clubhouse, which included a birdie at the par-4 18th to end the round on a high note. Chambles is currently T7 with Georgia College's Chase Blanton heading into tomorrow's second round. 

Junior Ethan Day and sophomore Hunter Smith brought up the rear for UNG on day one of the tournament. Day posted an even-par 72 to finish the day T14 while Smith battled a triple bogey at 12 to record three birdies in his final four holes and finish just one-over at T21. 

All five Nighthawks will tee off for tomorrow's second round beginning with 10-minute staggered tee times starting with Smith at 11:50 a.m. The tournament comes to a completion on Sunday, Apr. 21.