Fountain leads, Davidson second at Irish Creek Intercollegiate
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Highlighted by a second-round 5-under 66, Davidson’s Richard Fountain holds the individual lead, while Davidson is currently in second place, just four strokes behind nationally ranked North Carolina, following day one of the 2013 Irish Creek Collegiate.
After carding a 1-under 70 in the morning, Fountain (-6) birdied six of his first 11 holes in round two and got to 8-under overall before suffering bogeys on his final two holes.
Fountain, who finished the day with nine birdies and an eagle, will enter the final round one stroke ahead of Kennesaw State’s Jimmy Beck (-5) and two clear of the Tar Heels’ Michael McGowan (-4).
Davidson, which grabbed the top spot on the team leaderboard late in the afternoon, opened with a 289 before firing a season-low 2-under 282 to finish the day with a 36-hole total of 571.
Just four behind No. 47 North Carolina (282-285=567), the Wildcats (289-282=571) are alone in second a stroke ahead of No. 41 NC State (292-280=572) and in-state foe UNCW (289-283=572).
Like Fountain, Sam Echikson (73-69=142) shot a season low in round two and is tied for 10th with two others at even par.
Also competing for the Wildcats are John Skeadas (T-27th / 146), David Sargent (T-33rd / 147) and Todd Eckstein (T-55th / 151). Alex Nianouris (T-73rd / 154) and Ralph Blasey (T-82nd / 156) are representing Davidson as individual competitors.
In addition to the host Wildcats and Charlotte 49ers, the 17-team, 90-competitor field includes Akron, Appalachian State, East Carolina, Kansas, Kennesaw State, Louisville, Marshall, Mercer, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Richmond, UNCW, VCU and Xavier.
The 54-hole event is being played on the par-71, 7,099-yard The Club at Irish Creek layout.
Sunday’s final round will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.
Appalachian State 16th at Irish Creek Intercollegiate
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Completing two of the three rounds on Saturday of the Irish Creek Intercollegiate, Appalachian State sits in 16th place with the final round set for Sunday at The Club at Irish Creek.
After tallying a 303 (+19) for the first round, the Mountaineers improved by three shots as they turned in a 300 (+16) in round two, finishing 16th in one of the toughest fields the Mountaineers will see all season long. North Carolina leads the field with a 567 (-1) for the tournament.
Junior Casey Komline paced the Appalachian lineup with a 75-72 (+5), tying him for 33rd in the overall individual standings. Komline’s second-round 72 was the lowest score of any Mountaineer for the day.
Senior Josh Nichols (73-81) and freshmen Lee Mitchell (80-74) and Caleb Keck (76-78) each posted 154s (+12). The trio is tied for 73rd overall, as they enter Sunday’s final round.
Rounding out the Appalachian State lineup was graduate student Daniel Walsh with a 79-76 (+13).
The Mountaineers conclude the Irish Creek Intercollegiate at 8:30 a.m. Sunday with a shotgun start.