Monday, April 21
Texarkana, Ark.
10:00 AM ET/9:00 AM CT
Liberty University
vs
CUSA Men’s Golf Championship
Flames Soar to Top of the Leaderboard During Day 1 of the CUSA Championship
4/21/2025 8:55:00 PM | Men's Golf
TEXARKANA, Ark. – Liberty began defense of its CUSA Championship title with a strong showing on Monday, quickly rising to the top of the leaderboard during Round 1 of the 2025 CUSA Men's Golf Championship.
Liberty, who claimed its first CUSA title at the same Texarkana Country Club (par 72, 6,969 yards), opened this year's championship event with an 11-under par 277.
The Flames' lowest 18-hole total of the spring season has Liberty eight shots clear of Middle Tennessee, who opened the championship with a 3-under par 285.
The only other team not with an over-par score is Louisiana Tech, who is in third place following an even par round of 288.
Liberty's strong play was aided by its two most experienced players at the course. Josh Ryan and Ike Joy both helped the Flames claim last year's title and finished the first day of stroke play at a combined 9-under par.
Ryan leads the 54-man field following an opening round 5-under par 67. The junior's fifth sub-70 round of the season saw him card six birdies, including three of the four par-five holes.
Ike Joy is one shot behind Ryan and shares second place with Louisiana Tech's Niilo Maki-Petaja after opening the championship with a 4-under par 68.
One other Flame joined the 13 players to finish the first day of the championship in red figures. Michael Lugiano is tied for sixth place following a 2-under par 70.
The Flames will return to the course on Tuesday morning for Round 2 of the CUSA Men's Golf Championship.
Liberty will be paired with golfers from MTSU and Louisiana Tech and will be sent off the No. 1 tee, starting at 8 a.m. CST/9 a.m. EST.
Round Recap – Liberty's Starting Five:
Course Information:
Following the Flames at the Conference USA Men's Golf Championship:
Liberty, who claimed its first CUSA title at the same Texarkana Country Club (par 72, 6,969 yards), opened this year's championship event with an 11-under par 277.
The Flames' lowest 18-hole total of the spring season has Liberty eight shots clear of Middle Tennessee, who opened the championship with a 3-under par 285.
The only other team not with an over-par score is Louisiana Tech, who is in third place following an even par round of 288.
Liberty's strong play was aided by its two most experienced players at the course. Josh Ryan and Ike Joy both helped the Flames claim last year's title and finished the first day of stroke play at a combined 9-under par.
Ryan leads the 54-man field following an opening round 5-under par 67. The junior's fifth sub-70 round of the season saw him card six birdies, including three of the four par-five holes.
Ike Joy is one shot behind Ryan and shares second place with Louisiana Tech's Niilo Maki-Petaja after opening the championship with a 4-under par 68.
One other Flame joined the 13 players to finish the first day of the championship in red figures. Michael Lugiano is tied for sixth place following a 2-under par 70.
The Flames will return to the course on Tuesday morning for Round 2 of the CUSA Men's Golf Championship.
Liberty will be paired with golfers from MTSU and Louisiana Tech and will be sent off the No. 1 tee, starting at 8 a.m. CST/9 a.m. EST.
Round Recap – Liberty's Starting Five:
- Josh Ryan – 1 5-under par 67 (67)
- Ike Joy – T2 4-under par 68 (68)
- Michael Lugiano – T6 2-under par 70 (70)
- Pascal Gunther – T14 even par 72 (72)
- Andrew Gregory – T19 1-over par 73 (73)
Course Information:
- Texarkana Country Club (Texarkana, Ark.)
- Par 72, 6,969 yards
Following the Flames at the Conference USA Men's Golf Championship:
- Live stats will be available at Scoreboard.clippd.com
- Twitter @LibertyGolf
- Instagram @LibertyGolf
- Round 2 Tee Time: Tuesday at 9 a.m. EST/8 a.m. CST (No. 1 tee)
Players Mentioned
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