Duke sits in a tie for third place after an impressive showing in the first round of the TOPY Cup U.S.-Japan Intercollegiate Golf Championship in Fukushima, Japan.
Senior Michael Schachner led four Blue Devils shooting par or better on the first day of the tournament at Tanagura Densha Country Club. Schachner recovered from an opening bogey with five birdies en route to a two-under 70, placing him in a tie for ninth overall.
Sophomore Jeff Edelman and senior Michael Quagliano fired one-under 71s while junior Clark Klaasen notched an even-par 72. Sophomore Adam Long was right behind his teammates with a 73.
Edelman and Quagliano finished with the same score, but their respective routes to 71 varied. Edelman offset a triple-bogey 7 on the fifth hole with four birdies while Quagliano recorded 17 pars to go along with a lone birdie on the fourth hole.
Klaasen bounced back from a 38 on the front nine with three birdies before a closing bogey left him at even-par.
As a team, Duke stands at four-under 284 after the first day of the three-day competition. Defending NCAA champion Stanford is just two shots ahead of the Blue Devils and Alabama, with Tohoke Fukushi University nestled between the American schools at second place on the leaderboard, one shot off the pace.
The Cardinal's Rob Grube and Crimson Tide's Joseph Sykora are part of a four-way tie for first-place individually after shooting five-under 67s.
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