The University of Scranton men's golf team opened play at the 2026 Landmark Conference Golf Championships on Saturday at Shawnee Golf Course, finishing the first round in seventh place.

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The Royals posted a team score of 323 (+35) through 18 holes and will look to climb the leaderboard in Sunday's final round. Drew University leads the field after day one at +13, followed by Moravian University (+18) and Juniata College (+24). Individually, Elliot Parker and Riley Ruby are tied for the low round of the day after each fired an even-par 72.

Cade Kelleher paced the Royals in the opening round, carding a 79 (+7) while recording two birdies on the day. Jack Novis and Richard Essen followed closely behind, each posting rounds of 80 (+8), with Essen also notching two birdies and highlighting his round with a 38 (+2) on the back nine.

Juliano Nieto finished at 84 (+12), while Gehrig Shannon rounded out the lineup with a total of 93 (+21).

The Royals will return to the course Sunday morning for the second and final round, with their first tee time set for 9:00 a.m., as they aim to make a move up the standings at Shawnee Golf Course.

This story will be updated following the conclusion of Sunday's final round.