DELAND, Fla. - The No. 15-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University men's golf team is tied for 10th after a first-round 297 score on Monday at the NCAA Division II South/Southeast Super Regional, hosted by Victoria Hills Country Club in DeLand, Fla.

The Pirates are in a large group in the middle of the pack fighting for one of five qualifying spots for the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championships - West Florida (285) holds a three-stroke lead over Lynn (288), with Newberry (289), Belmont Abbey (291) and Delta State (293) currently holding down the top five spots.

A group of three schools - Columbus State, Barry and Barton - are tied for sixth with 294 scores, followed by Florida Tech (295) and the Pirates, who fired a 297 along with Georgia College.

Senior Aaron Elrod fired an even-par 72 to lead the Pirates individually on Monday, tying for 13th. Senior Ridge Purcell shot a two-over-par 74 and is tied for 29th individually, while junior Matt Motes shot a three-over-par 75 and is tied for 44th individually.

Senior Parker Gordon is tied for 60th after a four-over-par 76 and sophomore Tyler Erickson rounds out the Pirates' first-round scoring with an 80, tying for 96th individually.

Round two takes place on Tuesday with the Pirates teeing off at Noon from hole one. The Super Regional concludes with a single round of 18 holes of Wednesday.

The top five teams out of the 20 competing schools advance to the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championships on May 17-20 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Florence, Ala.