HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC – Led by junior Marc Casullo's even-par 72 on Monday afternoon (Feb. 27), Francis Marion University stands 12th place after the first two rounds of the 12th-annual Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate Golf Tournament.

The Patriots serve as hosts of the two-day event which is held on the 6,913 yards, par 72 Wexford Plantation course, an Arnold Palmer signature course.  The final round will he held Tuesday with an 8:15 a.m. shotgun start.

USC Aiken, the only NCAA Division II team in the field, and Radford University are tied for the team lead with 588 tallies.  Gardner-Webb University (589) is third, followed by Winthrop University (593), and the University of Akron and Mercer University (595) tied for fifth.  Akron was the leader after Monday morning's opening 18 holes.

Francis Marion carded a 307 team score during the morning round, but shaved eight strokes off that total during the afternoon round (299) to register a 606 team score – only one stroke behind Eastern Kentucky University and Wofford College.  FMU was tied for 12th position after the opening round.

Casullo is tied for 15th place in the players' standings with a three-over 75-72=147 scorecard.  His second round included three birdies.

FMU junior Alessandro Caselli (76-74=150) is tied for 30th position, while freshman Haakon Andersen (79-76=155) is tied for 52nd, junior Callum McGuigan (77-79=156) is tied for 55th, and sophomore Lars Sandvoll (82-77=159) is tied for 72nd.  Four of the five Patriots shot better during the afternoon round.

Four golfers are tied for the top spot in the players' standings with two-under 142 totals: Justin Connelly of Mercer, Vincent Blanchette of Gardner-Webb, Jack Lang of Davidson College, and Alec Weary of High Point University.  Only one golfer broke 70 on Monday.