Eagles Jump at John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
3/1/2010 10:03:00 PM | Men's Golf
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Led by Spence Fulford and Florian Sander, the Georgia Southern golf team shaved six strokes off its opening round 301 for a second round 295 Monday (March 1) at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational. Fulford and Sander both recorded rounds in the red launching eagles on hole eight as GS moved into a three-way tie for fourth-place heading into the final round on Tuesday.
The 15-field tournament is being contested at the Sawgrass Country Club, a par-72, 6,895-yard course. With three holes to play, No. 30 Duke had moved into a two-way tie for first place alongside host No. 27 North Florida, but the Ospreys held on for a two-stroke lead over the Blue Devils and stand in first with a 582 (+6). UNF leads Duke by two strokes, while Furman maintained a second place standing with a 593 (+17). UCF, Tusla and Georgia Southern are each +20 after two rounds (596), sharing ownership of fourth place.
“We got off to a rough start on the day, but the team battled back and put us in a good position for a strong finish tomorrow,” said head coach Larry Mays. “The conditions were much better today and we kept playing smart golf, which allowed us to finish well given our start. Again, Florian [Sander] put together a good round, as did Spence [Fulford].”
Georgia Southern rebounded from a rough start on the front nine to make up ground after the turn. Sander (Bregenz, Austria) erased two bogeys on the first three holes with an eagle on hole eight to make the turn at even-par 36. The redshirt-freshman held a clean slate entering hole 14, but back-to-back birdies put the Eagle 2-under with three holes to play. A bogey on 16 preceded two pars as Sander stands tied for 3rd-place with a two-day total 142.
Owning one of seven eagles on the day, Fulford (Rocky Mount, N.C.) followed Sander with an eighth hole eagle for a 1-over 37 on the front nine. The senior moved to even-par with a birdie on 11 and closed the second round with his second birdie of the day on 18 for a 1-under 71 tally. Five strokes were sliced from Fulford's opening round as the Eagle owns a two-day total 147 and shares 12th-place after entering the day tied for 28th.
Three Georgia Southern Eagles are tied for 56th-place entering the final 18. Matt Deal (Statesboro, Ga.) responded to his opening round with a second-round 75. The senior shot 3-over on the front nine, but launched a birdie on 11 to trim his score. Deal closed the round even-par on the back nine for a 3-over 75 second round score, moving him into a 56th-place tie with a 155.
Also tied for 56th, junior Joe Monte (Chantilly, Va.) highlighted his second frame with two birdies, split between the front and back nine. Monte carded a second round 78, as did senior Ryan Zabroske (Alpharetta, Ga.). The senior fired back-to-back birdies on eight and nine only to launch another on 16. Zabroske enters the final round with a 155.
Competing as an individual, junior Logan Blondell (Lakeland, Fla.) shot an 83 on the day and stands in a tie for 79th.
“Standard to college golf, there are a group of teams that are really close to each other in the standings and if we want to post a solid team finish, then we have to play well tomorrow,” stated Mays. “We need four solid rounds tomorrow if we want to meet our goal coming in, which was a top five finish.”
Georgia Southern tees off on the front nine to start the final round on Tuesday (March 2) at 8:45 a.m. Monte starts the Eagles, followed by Deal, Zabroske, Fulford and Sander. Blondell leads the bunch with an 8:09 tee time on the back nine.
The 15-field tournament is being contested at the Sawgrass Country Club, a par-72, 6,895-yard course. With three holes to play, No. 30 Duke had moved into a two-way tie for first place alongside host No. 27 North Florida, but the Ospreys held on for a two-stroke lead over the Blue Devils and stand in first with a 582 (+6). UNF leads Duke by two strokes, while Furman maintained a second place standing with a 593 (+17). UCF, Tusla and Georgia Southern are each +20 after two rounds (596), sharing ownership of fourth place.
“We got off to a rough start on the day, but the team battled back and put us in a good position for a strong finish tomorrow,” said head coach Larry Mays. “The conditions were much better today and we kept playing smart golf, which allowed us to finish well given our start. Again, Florian [Sander] put together a good round, as did Spence [Fulford].”
Georgia Southern rebounded from a rough start on the front nine to make up ground after the turn. Sander (Bregenz, Austria) erased two bogeys on the first three holes with an eagle on hole eight to make the turn at even-par 36. The redshirt-freshman held a clean slate entering hole 14, but back-to-back birdies put the Eagle 2-under with three holes to play. A bogey on 16 preceded two pars as Sander stands tied for 3rd-place with a two-day total 142.
Owning one of seven eagles on the day, Fulford (Rocky Mount, N.C.) followed Sander with an eighth hole eagle for a 1-over 37 on the front nine. The senior moved to even-par with a birdie on 11 and closed the second round with his second birdie of the day on 18 for a 1-under 71 tally. Five strokes were sliced from Fulford's opening round as the Eagle owns a two-day total 147 and shares 12th-place after entering the day tied for 28th.
Three Georgia Southern Eagles are tied for 56th-place entering the final 18. Matt Deal (Statesboro, Ga.) responded to his opening round with a second-round 75. The senior shot 3-over on the front nine, but launched a birdie on 11 to trim his score. Deal closed the round even-par on the back nine for a 3-over 75 second round score, moving him into a 56th-place tie with a 155.
Also tied for 56th, junior Joe Monte (Chantilly, Va.) highlighted his second frame with two birdies, split between the front and back nine. Monte carded a second round 78, as did senior Ryan Zabroske (Alpharetta, Ga.). The senior fired back-to-back birdies on eight and nine only to launch another on 16. Zabroske enters the final round with a 155.
Competing as an individual, junior Logan Blondell (Lakeland, Fla.) shot an 83 on the day and stands in a tie for 79th.
“Standard to college golf, there are a group of teams that are really close to each other in the standings and if we want to post a solid team finish, then we have to play well tomorrow,” stated Mays. “We need four solid rounds tomorrow if we want to meet our goal coming in, which was a top five finish.”
Georgia Southern tees off on the front nine to start the final round on Tuesday (March 2) at 8:45 a.m. Monte starts the Eagles, followed by Deal, Zabroske, Fulford and Sander. Blondell leads the bunch with an 8:09 tee time on the back nine.
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