Jenkins, UNCG lead AutoTrader.com Collegiate
DULUTH, Ga. – The UNCG men’s golf team turned in a dominant showing Monday at the annual AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic as the Spartans hold a three-stroke team lead and have three players in the top 11 of the individual standings, including the top two overall, after 36 holes at the 6,694-yard Berkeley Hill Country Club.
The third and final round is set for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start, weather permitting, with live scoring available via www.golfstatresults.com.
The Spartans as a team posted a two-round score of 14-under par 562, holding a three-stroke lead over VCU (11-under 565) and a six-shot lead over fellow Southern Conference member Chattanooga (8-under 568) for third. UNCG opened the event with a 4-under-par 284 to hold the team lead by one stroke after round one before turning in a 10-under-par 278 in round two. The 278 score is tied for the sixth-lowest team score in a round in program history and the lowest this season for UNCG. It is the lowest team score for 18 holes since the Spartans set the UNCG program record in round three of the USF Invitational last year with a 273.
Sophomore Carter Jenkins holds the individual lead after 36 holes with an 8-under-par 136. Jenkins opened the day with a 3-under-par 69 to take the early lead before carding a 5-under-par 67 in round two. His score of 67 in round two is his lowest of the season and tied for his third-lowest round of his career.
Jenkins opened the event and was quickly 2-over-par through three holes, but finished his day shooting 10-under-par on the final 33 holes of play. He carded 10 birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the afternoon to go along with 22 par scores. He notched an eagle-3 on the par-5 No. 15 in round two, accomplishing the feat on the 552-yard hole.
Junior Taylor Coalson sits just behind Jenkins in a tie for second place overall with a 6-under-par 138. Coalson opened with a 1-under-par 71 before matching Jenkins in round two with a 5-under-par 67. Coalson also started slow in the morning, sitting 4-over-par after five holes but regrouped to shoot 10-under-par over the final 31 holes of play. He finished with 10 birdies, four bogeys and 22 par scores on the day, including a clean round two in which he had five birdies and 13 pars. His score of 67 in round two is a season-best and the second-lowest score of his career.
Senior Roy Dixon rounds out the Spartans in the top 15 as he sits in a tie for 11th place overall. Dixon carded a 2-under-par 142 Monday with a 2-under-par 70 in round one and an even-par 72 in round two. He posted seven birdies, five bogeys and 24 par scores on the day.
Sophomore Jake McGlone is tied for 34th overall with a 2-over-par 146. McGlone opened with a 2-over-par 74 in the first round before coming in with an even-par 72 in the second round of the day. He closed the final round by posting a birdie and two pars on his last three holes to help the Spartans hold a three-stroke lead at the end of the day. McGlone also notched an eagle-3, accomplishing the task on the 505-yard par-5 No. 3 hole.
Sophomore William Thomas is tied for 52nd playing as an individual with a 6-over-par 150. Thomas opened with a season-best 1-over-par 73 before posting a 5-over-par 77. The 73 score in round one is tied for his second-lowest score of his career as he posted scores of 72 and 73 in the first two rounds of the AutoTrader.com Collegiate last year. Freshman Josh Stockwell rounds out the Spartans’ lineup with a 10-over-par 160 (78-82) to sit in a tie for 72nd place overall.
Joining the Spartans in the field include host Georgia State, College of Charleston, Chattanooga, Davidson, Francis Marion, Mercer, Richmond, Samford, South Alabama, Troy and VCU.
Chattanooga third at AutoTrader.com Collegiate
DULUTH, Ga. – Chattanooga is third at 8-under 568 at the AutoTrader.com Collegiate, while Liam Johnston’s 6-under total has him tied for second individually after Monday’s first two rounds.
Johnston opened with a 71 before carding a 5-under 67 in the afternoon. His 138 is just two shots off the lead held by UNCG’s Carter Jenkins at 136. He’s tied with the Spartans’ Taylor Coalson.
The team shot 2-under in the morning and tied the low of the season (Carpet Capital) with a 282 (-6) in the afternoon. The Mocs have five individual under-par rounds with three in the 60s.
Chattanooga trails UNCG in first by six. VCU is in second at 11-under. Troy is fourth, a shot behind the Mocs, at 569 (-7).
Wes Gosselin shot 68 (-4) to lead his squad’s morning round. He was tied for first before a 75 in the afternoon. He is tied for 14th at 1-under. Ewan Scott and Andrew Weathers are tied for 26th at +1 (145). Scott’s 69 in round two was a strong answer to an opening 76. Weathers turned in cards of 74 and 71.
Zac Stolz rounds out the starters at 148 (+4). His 73 was the third-best round by a Moc in the morning. Individuals Kory Webb and Brooks Thomas each tallied 150 totals with Thomas shooting twin 75s and Webb posting 76 and 74, respectively.
Tuesday’s final round is threatened by the inclement weather coming into the Southeast. The tournament plans an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Chattanooga starts on holes 1-3, playing with the Spartans and Rams.
Mercer sixth at AutoTrader.com Collegiate
DULUTH, Ga. – Sophomores Emmanuel Kountakis and Sean Smothers each finished the opening day of AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic inside the top 10 to lead the Mercer University golf team on Monday.
The Bears had their best two rounds of the season to start the day, carding a 286 on both sets of 18 holes. Mercer will head into Tuesday’s final round in sixth place with total score of 572, trailing first place UNCG by 10 strokes.
Kountakis shot an even-par 72 on the opening round of play before cruising to a score of 68 on Monday’s final round. He wrapped up the day in fourth place overall with a total score of 140. Smothers fired a team-best 70 to start the morning before finishing the day in ninth place with a score of 141.
Rule shot scores of 73 and 72 for a two-round total of 145 to place 26th, while Jeffrey Heinicka Jr. finished with a score of 146 thanks to rounds of 71 and 75 en route to 34th place. Jerry Ren and Justin Connelly, who played as an individual, closed out the action for Mercer, carding two-round scores of 160 and 154, respectively.
The Bears will open up the final round with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
Wofford tied for second at Donald Ross Intercollegiate
MORGANTON, N.C. – Senior Brannan Hudson shot a 2-under-par 68 and an even-par 70 to lead the Wofford men's golf team through the first two rounds Monday of the Donald Ross Intercollegiate, hosted by Appalachian State at the Mimosa Hills Golf and Country Club.
Hudson had a roller-coaster start to his opening round. The senior from Columbia, S.C., had three birdies and three bogeys in his first 11 holes before settling down to card two birdies and no bogeys the rest of the way for his 68. The day began with a bogey on his opening hole, the par-4 third, but he recovered with a birdie at the par-4 fourth and was never above par the rest of the round.
A more consistent second round followed. Despite beginning with another bogey on the third, Hudson posted just two bogeys coupled with two birdies for an even-par 70. One of his two birdies came at the par-5 seventh, which he played at 2-under through the first two rounds.
The Terriers are tied for second place in the 10-team field. Wofford began its Donald Ross title defense with a 3-under-par 277 but turned around with an 11-over 291 for a two-round total of 8-over-par 568. Last year, the Terriers broke the program's 54-hole scoring record, winning the tournament at 16-under-par 824.
Jacksonville leads this year's field by 14 strokes heading into the final round. The Dolphins put together scores of 2-under 278 and 4-under 276 to sit in first with 18 holes to play, above both Wofford and Presbyterian.
Making up Wofford's five-man team are Hudson, senior Cory Taylor, sophomores Jeremy Grab and Andrew Novak, and freshman Evan Grenus. Taylor and Novak are tied for 17th at 3-over-par 143, with Grab in 25th at 5-over and Grenus in 38th at 8-over.
JU's Franck Medale leads the 65-man field at 11-under-par 129, carding rounds of 7-under 63 and 4-under 66. PC's Davis Parker is in second at 10-under-par.
Wofford will tee off in the final five groups for Tuesday's third and final round, joined by one member from both Presbyterian and Jacksonville. The first Terrier group gets underway at 9:10 a.m.
ETSU ranked No. 26 in latest Golfweek poll
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The latest edition of the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings were released on Monday and the ETSU men’s golf team moved to No. 26 in the national poll, while three Buccaneers are ranked in the top 100.
ETSU, who was ranked 31st in the previous poll, has finished in the top five in its first four tournaments this season, while also claiming the Inverness Intercollegiate title to begin the year. The Blue and Gold are coming off consecutive runner-up finishes at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate and this past weekend’s rain-shortened Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.
With its No. 26 ranking, ETSU is placed ahead of Georgia (No. 27), Virginia (No. 28), Virginia Tech (No. 33), Oklahoma State (No. 36) and Michigan (No. 38).
As the Bucs moved up five spots in the team poll, ETSU saw three of its golfers placed in the top 100 of the individual rankings – led by junior Adrian Meronk – who is ranked No. 19. Meanwhile, Chris Hickman is ranked 76th and Rhys Pugh is 94th.
ETSU returns to action this weekend as the Bucs head to Alpharetta, Ga., for the U.S. Collegiate Championship, which begins Friday.