Douglas freshman Roberts leads field at Class 3A states

HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS — Weather conditions were perfect for the opening round of Florida’s Class 3A championships, but scoring was far from it on the golf course recently rated No. 1 in Florida and No. 2 in the nation: El Campeon at the Mission Inn and Resort.

St. Thomas Aquinas, winner of a boys 3A regional last week with a team score of 300, finished the first day of the state tournament Tuesday at 324. Spanish River, which posted a 302 in the regional, came in at 325.

In individual play, Boca Raton junior Anthony Muttillo shot an even-par 72 to put him in a tie for third place with Tampa Plant’s Jackson Suber. Both are two strokes behind leader Brandon Mancheno of Mandarin. The tournament’s second and final round will be played today.

After a day when most players shot four or five strokes higher than normal, St. Thomas and Spanish River remained in contention for a top-three finish, as did Jupiter (323). Tampa Plant sits in first place with 301. West Orange was second at 313. Vero Beach shot 315 to hold third place.

In girls’ competition, on Mission Inn’s Las Colinas course, Douglas freshman Taylor Roberts leads the individual field by two strokes after carding a 2-under 70 Tuesday, the only sub-par round on the girls side.

“The greens were pretty fast, but I liked them,” said Taylor. “I feel pretty good — I’ve been working on my swing with my swing coach for the last week and it helped.”

The 2015 US Kids Golf National Player of the Year said she’s “nervous” about Wednesday’s final round, “but I play well under pressure.”

Broward and Palm Beach County teams were eliminated from contention. Lake Mary is the team leader with 306 and Buchholz is second at 310.

St. Thomas boys coach Tony Avento had mixed feelings about his team’s effort Tuesday. “We had a rough start, and I’m pretty happy with the way we finished,” he said.

The Raiders’ presence for the first time in six years is significant. Boys golf is the only sport in which St. Thomas never has won a state title.

Freshman Brett Roberts and junior Alex Martell shot 79s Tuesday. They were the only players under 80 for the Raiders.

Sophomore Donald Francey shot 81 and provided a moment of mirth for his teammates by falling asleep during the drive from Fort Lauderdale to Howey-in-the-Hills.

“He sleeps on a rock. He can sleep on anything,” Avento said.

Considering the difficulty of the golf course, Spanish River also had a respectable first day of play, with its team total one stroke behind the Raiders. Luke Gifford was the Sharks’ leader with a 77. In regional play, Gifford shot 72, as did St. Thomas’ Roberts.

“We did not play up to our potential,” Spanish River coach Aaron Lampman said.