TUNICA, Miss. – The Valdosta State men's golf team sits third following the first round of the 2025 Gulf South Conference Championship following a 296 Thursday on the par 72, 7,204-yard Tunica National Golf Club course.  West Florida leads the field with a 3-under 285. 
 
Fans can access links to live stats of the tournament by clicking here. 
 
Playing with No. 2-ranked West Florida and No. 7-ranked Lee, the No. 32 Blazers held their own and pulled into a tie for first at +1 with West Florida on the back nine of the opening round.  Blazer senior Parker Highsmith birdied the par 5, 14^th hole to move to 3-under at that point and into sole possession of first place through 15 holes. 
 
VSU went 2-under on No. 14 for its counting scores as a team, but proceeded to finish the round +6 to head into the clubhouse 8-over for third.  Montevallo sits second at 5-over 293.  Trevecca Nazarene is fourth at 297, followed by Delta State at 299 to round out the top five.  No. 7 Lee, Union and Christian Brothers are tied for sixth at 301, followed by Mississippi College at 314.  
 
The Blazers will play with Montevallo and West Florida on Friday beginning at 12 p.m. ET and start on hole ten. 
 
Individually, UWF's TJ Thompson leads the field with a 2-under 70, while five players are tied for second at 1-under 71.  Highsmith and junior Elad Sebbag are tied for seventh at even par 72.  Blazer sophomore Adam Waller is tied for 13^th at 74, followed by sophomore Alexander Nilehn who is tied for 32^nd at 78. Senior Chase Long is 44^th with an 85.  
 
VSU and Montevallo and Union are on the cusp of earning a postseason berth to the NCAA South Regional and the way the teams finish in the conference tournament will have a big impact on who gets into the regional.  The Blazers were ninth in the most recent rankings, released last Friday, while Montevallo was 11^th and Union was outside the top 11.  Click here for the region rankings.  
 
The Blazers finished Thursday's round second among the field in birdies with 19, while UWF led the way with 23.  The Blazers had 38 pars and 27 bogeys, along with six double bogeys. Highsmith finished 1-under on par 3s, while Sebbag was even par on par 4s and Waller was 3-under on par 5s to lead the team.