AUGUSTA, Ga. – The No. 3 University of North Georgia (UNG) men's golf team began play in the 2025 Peach Belt Conference Championship at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Friday morning.

UNG serves as the host of this year's conference championship after hosting and winning the event for the first time in program history last season. The Nighthawks are looking to become the first program since 2018 to win consecutive PBC Championships.

With a combined score of 291 at 3-over par, UNG currently sits in third place in the eight-team tournament after the first round. 

No. 15 USC Beaufort (USCB) surprised many as the Sand Shark golfers combined to shoot a 9-under 279 on Friday. USCB leads the field by seven shots after the opening round.

No. 11 USC Aiken sits in second place at 2-under par as the only team to join the Sand Sharks in red numbers on Friday.

No. 5 Georgia Southwestern and Flagler are tied for fourth just one shot behind the Nighthawks at 4-over par.

UNG's day was highlighted by senior Hughes Threlkeld who carded the only sub par round on Friday with a 1-under 71. After setting the new record for the lowest 18-hole score in conference history with a 10-under 62 in the final event of the regular season, Threlkeld sits in fourth place after day one at the conference championship. 

He recorded a pair of birdies and an eagle 2 on the par-4 2nd hole to post the lowest Nighthawk round of the day.

Senior Ethan Day and junior Hunter Smith each posted an even-par 72 on Friday. The duo is tied for 10th place on the individual leaderboard.

For Day, he turned in a nearly unblemished scorecard with one birdie on the front nine and a lone bogey on the back nine at the par-72, 7,086-yard Forest Hills GC.

Smith utilized a pair of birdies in the last four holes including at the par-4 9th hole (all groups teed off on hole 10 Friday) to finish with a 72. 

Graduate student Jack Vajda and sophomore Colby Bennett each finished Friday's round with a 4-over 76 and in a tie for 31st place.

Tee times on day two of the PBC Championship will start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. The first group for the Nighthawks heads out for their second round in the tournament at 9:30 a.m. with the final group teeing off at 10:18 a.m.