HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Opening the 2026-27 season with a historic performance in the opening round of the Kinder-Williams Invitational, the Christopher Newport men's golf team signed for a four-under 284 on Monday and is tied for the lead after 18 holes. All five Captains logged solid outings but sophomore Jimmy Spallone (-4) paced the entire field and is tied for the lead heading into day two. 

Playing on the 6,714-yard par 72 layout at Lakeview GC in Harrisonburg, Va., the Captains put up a pair of rounds under par, another Even 72, and a fourth counting score at just one-over for the day. As a team, the Captains are tied with Bridgewater for the tournament lead with a four-under start. 

That mark ranks as the second lost total ever recorded by a CNU team on a Par 72 course. The team set the record on March 18, 2023 at the Jekyll Island Invitational with a 281. In relation to par, the round is equally impressive as it ties for the fourth best single-round performance in program history. CNU established the record at -7 in the 2007 Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate and matched that mark at Jekyll in 2023. The Captains also fired a five-under performance at Camp Lejeune in 2019, but the four-under showing bests every other single round performance in program history. 

Leading the squad on Monday was sophomore Jimmy Spallone, who shaved two strokes off his personal career low with a 68. He started his second year with an incredible performance that included a pair of eagles in a four-hole stretch. Spallone buried a three on the 503-yard par five 11th and added his second eagle of the round on the 480-yard par five 14th hole. The highlights came after he had already carved up the front nine with three birdies and five pars to make the turn at 34 strokes. His dominance on the long holes included two birdies on the front as he finished a tournament best -6 on the four par fives. 

Rookie Xan Pitt wasn't far behind on the par fives, ranking third in the 91-player field with a -4 score on the long holes. He also had his first collegiate Eagle in the round when he dropped in a three on the monstrous 589-yard par five 6th hole. Pitt was playing on the CNU 'B' squad that is currently in 12th place with a 12-over 300. 

Back in the first-place lineup, the Captains got a second round under par from Patrick O'Rourke with a one-under 71. It was his sixth career round at par or better and the first of his second season. O'Rourke made the turn at Even par and quickly added two birdies back-to-back to start the back nine. He finished with four birdies on the day and is currently tied for seventh on the individual leaderboard. 

Jacob Foti, tied for 13th, fired a 72 and strung together nine straight pars before dropping in a birdie on the 11th hole. He tacked on a second birdie on 14 and five more pars to finish the first day. Foti's 14 pars trailed the tournament leader by just one. Rounding out the counting scores on day one was Fischer Leggitt (+1) with a 73. Tied for 22nd, Leggitt also had four birdies and was throwing darts on the Par 3 holes with two birdies and two pars. His 2.50 average (-2) on the short holes led the tournament field on Monday. 

The first-place Captains also included J.P. Carr (+5). Carr is tied for 54th after sinking three birdies in the first round. The B team was led by Charles Valiulis (+2) and Nathan Smith (+2) with matching 74's tied for 29th. Pitt is tied for 34th at three-over while newcomers Christian Martin (+5) and Beck Christiansen (+9) rounded out the day. Martin scored a team-high five birdies and Christiansen's first collegiate round included two birdies. 

As a team, the Captains lead the field in Par 3 (3.00) and Par 5 (4.35) scoring. CNU was the only team with three eagles and is also tied for fifth with 16 total birdies; 32 in all with both lineups combined. 

The leaderboard features three teams at four-under after the first 18 holes; Christopher Newport is tied with Roanoke and Bridgewater. Pfeiffer (-1) is also under par after the first round in fourth place. 

The Captains will return to the course on Tuesday to wrap up the 36-hole tournament.