No. 41 Liberty had the second-best afternoon flight during Day 1 of the 2023 General Hackler Championship, leaving the Flames in a share of fifth place.

Liberty carded a 13-under par 275 during its second trip around The Dunes Golf & Beach Club (par 72, 7,233 yards) on Monday afternoon.

Liberty (290-275) shares fifth place with No. 6 Auburn (280-285) with both teams entering the final round with an overall score of 11-under par 565.

The Flames posted a 15-stroke improvement over their morning flight and were just one shot off the top score during the second round (14-under par 274 by Kent State).

In a field that features 13 out of 14 teams currently ranked in the top 100 in the country, No. 16 Virginia leads the way with an overall 22-under par 554 (279-275).

No. 45 East Tennessee State is two strokes off the pace at 20-under par 556 (274-282). No. 39 Louisville (15-under par 561/279-282) and Kent State (12-under par 564/290-274) round out the teams ahead of Liberty on the leaderboard.

A total of 34 players in the 84-man field finished Day 1 with an under-par score, led by Virginia’s Ben James. The 16^th-ranked individual player in the country finished his first 36 holes at the Championship with an overall score of 11-under par 133 (68-65).

Four shots off the overall pace is Liberty’s Josh Ryan, who is tied for sixth place with a 7-under par 137 (71-66). The freshman matched his third-lowest round of the season during the afternoon flight thanks to six birdies and an eagle.

Jonathan Yaun is two shots behind his fellow teammate and is tied for ninth place with an overall score of 5-under per 139 (72-67). Yaun matched Ryan with eight birdies on the day, including six during the afternoon flight.

The 14-team field will return to The Dunes Golf & Beach Club tomorrow morning for the final round of the Championship. Liberty will be sent off the No. 1 tee (par 4, 425 yards), starting at 9:25 a.m.

Round Recap – Liberty’s Starting Five:

• Josh Ryan – T6 7-under par 137 (71-66)
• Jonathan Yaun – T9 5-under par 139 (72-67)
• Isaac Simmons – T28 1-under par 143 (73-70)
• Connor Polender – T54 3-over par 147 (75-72)
• Austin Barbin – T62 5-over par 149 (74-75)
• Individual: Ryan Davidson – T73 8-over par 152 (78-74)

Course Information:

• The Dunes Golf & Beach Club (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
• Par 72, 7,233 yards

Following the Flames at General Hackler Championship:

• Live stats will be available at Golfstat.com
• Twitter @LibertyGolf
• Instagram @LibertyGolf
• Round 3 Tee Time: Tuesday at 9:25 a.m./EST (No. 1 tee)