By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
HAM LAKE, Minn.  — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota's Joe Abdo (Edina, Minn.) turned more than a few heads around the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference on Saturday, as the Cardinal freshman carded a one-under-par 71 during the opening round of the 36-hole Augsburg Invitational.
 
Abdo, who is currently sitting tied for fifth among the tournament's 102 golfers—shooting an even-par 36 on the opening nine, before coming home in one-under 35—helped the Cardinals post a 314 opening-round total, leaving them tied for 14^th in the 18-team field.
 
Along with Abdo's collegiate best performance, the Cardinals also got a 79 from Bryce Galewski (Winona, Minn.), an 80 from Juan Sanchez (Bogota , Colombia), an 84 from Blair Sanders (Kansas City, Mo.), and an 88 from Blake Emeott (Chisago City, Minn.).
 
St. Thomas holds the Day 1 lead, carding a team score of 287, one0under par. The Tommies hold a five-shot lead over UW-Eau Claire (292), with Concordia (293), Bethel (295), and Augsburg (299) rounding out the top five.
 
Concordia's Matt Kulla is the individual leader, after posting a seven-under-par 65, four shots better than St. Thomas' Peder Larson and Miles McCarthy. Harrison Coopoer of Augsburg (-2) and Abdo (-1) and Bethel's Michael Pehler (-1) also finished the tournament's opening round under par.
 
The Cardinals are back at Majestic Oaks Golf Course on Sunday for the second round of the 36-hole tournament.