NEWBERG, Ore. – Amidst occasional drizzle and cloudy skies Saturday, the Linfield’s men golf team got off to a good start during the first round of the George Fox Invitational. Linfield's “A” squad leads the field of four by 22 strokes at hilly Chehalem Glenn Golf Course.

Linfield's Alex Fitch, the reigning Northwest Conference Player of the Year, leads by five strokes after the first day. Fitch shot a two-under-par 70 to finish ahead of teammates Taylor Pirnke (Soph., Mill Creek, Wash.) and A.J. Taylor (Jr., Kirkland, Wash.). Taylor was hot on Fitch’s heels until the final hole, but a double bogey dropped him back into a tie with Pirnke.

Four Linfield freshmen making their collegiate debuts are among the top 10: Logan Munson (Soph., Wilsonville, Ore.) shot a 78, Dillon Alegre (Soph., Fallon, Nev.) was three strokes back at 81, and Thomas Arand (Soph., McMinnville, Ore.) and Taylor Klopp (Soph., Eugene, Ore.) each shot matching 82s.

“This is a tough course,” said Wildcats coach Greg Copeland. “To come away with a 301 with five freshmen finishing in the top 10 on one of the tougher courses was pretty nice.”

Linfield’s “A” squad totaled 301 strokes. Host George Fox carded a 323 points, and Linfield’s second unit holds third place at 329. Lewis and Clark fielded an incomplete team and did not register a team score.

“I’m very encouraged wel played so well collectively,” said Copeland.

WHAT’S NEXT: Tournament play continues Sunday with second-round action starting at 9 a.m.