WEATHERFORD, Okla. – A brilliant first round gave Missouri S&T's golf team a lead after the completion of two rounds of play at the Perkins Intercollegiate tournament at Prairie West Golf Club.

The Miners shot a 16-under-par score of 268 in round one – the lowest 18-hole score by an S&T team since the program's resumption – and holds a four-shot lead in the tournament over host Southwestern Oklahoma State after the second round finished on Monday afternoon.

S&T had four players finish under par on the day, headed by Carl Miltun (Gilbert, AZ/Williams Field) and Jeppe Thybo (Esbjerg, Denmark/Rybners Gymnasium) at four-under with scores of 138.  Thybo shot a 67 in the first round that was highlighted by seven birdies and followed it with an even-par 71 over the next 18 holes, while Miltun had a pair of rounds below par with a 68 and a 70 to finish the afternoon in a tie for third in the individual standings.

Meanwhile, Isaac To (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia/Real International School) is tied for sixth after posting a three-under 139, highlighted by the lowest round by any player Monday with an opening round 65. To recorded an eagle on the par-five sixth hole to go along with five birdies in that round, then eagled the hole again during the second round of play.

Nicolas Estrada (Zaragoza, Spain/IES Valdespartera), the fourth player under par with a one-under 141, had three eagles during his 36 holes of play.  The first came on the 11^th hole during round one – when he recorded a 68 – then eagled the sixth and ninth holes in the second round.

As a team, the Miners had seven eagles on the day with the other two coming from Cole Komyati (Elberta, AL/Bayside Academy) on the 11^th hole in the second round and Joey Friedel (St. Peters, MO/Fort Zumwalt South), who holed out on the par-four 12^th hole in round two.  Komyati had a score of 145 and Friedel finished at 152 while playing as individual players, while Carter Schmitt (Baton Rouge, LA/Catholic) shot an even-par 142 in that same role.
S&T's fifth scoring player, Connor Benjamin (Nelson Bay, Australia/St. Philip's Christian College), had a 144 to finish at two-over for the day.

Heading into Tuesday's final round, the nearest team to S&T and Southwestern Oklahoma State is Central Oklahoma, who is nine shots in back of the Miners at seven-under-par.