CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Senior Michael Saari used an opening-round 68 on his way to a tie for ninth after the first day of the Palisades Collegiate, co-hosted by Davidson, Charlotte and Belmont Abbey and held at the 6,797-yard, par-72 Palisades Country Club. As a team, the Wildcats fired back-to-back rounds of 296 to go into the last day in 12th place.
Saari’s 68 was the lowest single-round score of his career, and included a 32 on the front nine. He entered the second round in a tie for second place, sitting one shot behind the leader. The Lilburn, Ga. native then followed with an even-par 72 on the second 18, going into Tuesday’s final round tied for ninth with a four-under 140.
The ?Cats, who were tied for eighth in the team standings following the first round, dropped back to 12th after their second-straight 296 for a first-day score of 592.
Freshman Jackson Taylor shot 73-72 over the first two rounds for a one-over 145, which is tied for 25th place. He was followed by Bobby Urso’s eight-over 152 and tie for 54th, with Ryan Crum (155/T-69th) and Christopher Rollins (161/84th) rounding out the Davidson contingent.
Playing as an individual, Adam Lewicki rebounded from an opening-round 78 with a 75 over the second 18 holes to go into the final day at nine-over and tied for 61st. Also playing as an individual, Andrew Goyzueta went 79-80 for a score of 159 and a tie for 81st.
While two players, Marquette's Mike Van Sickle and VCU's Vincent Nadeau, posted scores that would have tied the tournament's 18-hole record (-7, 65) in round two, Louisville's Riley Wheeldon blistered the record with an 11-under par, 61.
Wheeldon and Nadeau share the 36-hole lead at 12-under par, 132. VCU, however, holds a five-stroke lead in the event with a two round total of 552. Louisville is in second at 557, 10 strokes ahead of 3rd-place Marquette, 567.
SoCon foe Elon is currently in 15th place as a team.
The tournament will conclude with Tuesday’s final round, with tee times starting at 8:30 a.m. from Palisades Country Club.
Elon Men’s Golf in 15th After Two Rounds at Palisades Collegiate Classic
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Elon Phoenix men’s golf team is in 15th-place at the Palisades Collegiate Classic in Charlotte, N.C. The team will play the third and final round today. Virginia Commonwealth is currently leading the field with a combined score of 552. Louisville, Marquette, Old Dominion and Belmont Abbey round out the top five.
Leading the way for Elon is Jayson Judy, who is even with par with a combined score of 144, and it tied for 22nd. He shot three under par in the first round, firing a 69 that was followed with a three over par performance in the second round.
Phil Bartholomew is tied for 51st with a two-day score of 151. Tied for 54th is Randall Anderson with a score of 152, while Steven Dressel owns score of 157 and is tied for 76th. Caleb Luther rounds out the individual performances for the Phoenix with a score of 169 for 85th.