Western Carolina 10th at Pinetree Intercollegiate
KENNESAW, Ga. – Western Carolina senior J.T. Poston carded rounds of 74 and 71 for an opening-day score of 145 on Monday to sit in eighth place after 36 of the scheduled 54 holes at the Pinetree Intercollegiate, hosted by Kennesaw State at the par-72, 7,108-yard Pinetree Country Club.
WCU turned in rounds of 314 and 299 to stand 10th overall at 613. Paired with golfers from Ohio and the individual competitors, the Catamounts will hit the course from the back nine beginning at 8:10 a.m.
Poston played his first nine holes at 2-over par, dropping to 3-over with a third bogey on the par-3 12th after making the turn to the back. He rallied to within one stroke of even-par with birdies on the par-4 14th and par-5 16th but finished at 2-over par 74 after a bogey on the final hole of his first round, completing the first 18 holes in a tie for 14th place overall.
The senior from Hickory, N.C., was solid through the front nine of his second round, making the turn at even-par after carding nine pars. Poston made the move to 2-under par with consecutive birdies on the holes Nos. 11 and 12 but was relegated back to even with a double-bogey on the par-4 15th. He concluded his first day with back-to-back birdies and a bogey on the 18th for a second consecutive round to shoot 1-under-par 71.
Freshman Bright Julamool is tied for 29th (152), recovering from an opening-round 8-over-par 80 to shoot even-par 72 in the second round. The Bangkok, Thailand, product countered four bogeys with four birdies on his second 18 holes. Over the opening 36 holes, he has five birdies for WCU.
Sophomore Nont Panayanggool sits tied for 43rd after two rounds with a score of 156, knocking four strokes off his opening-round 80 to shoot 76 in the second round, aided by an eagle on the par-5 16th. Junior Tyler Lail is tied for 52nd overall at 160 after matching rounds of 80, while sophomore Evan Smith is 64th overall at 170 (83-87), charting four birdies. Lail birdied the same three holes in both rounds – all three par-5s on the scorecard – to be in the clubhouse with six birdies.
Playing unattached as an individual, senior Matthew Turner is tied for 58th overall, posting rounds of 82 and 81 for a 163.
Kennesaw State, ranked 34th in the most recent GolfStat rankings, holds a commanding lead over the 11-team field. Led by the top three individuals, the Owls posted rounds of 276 and 281 for a combined 557, 29 strokes better than No. 18 East Carolina (586) in second place. Florida Gulf Coast sits in third with a two-round score of 591, followed by Liberty (593) and Jacksonville State (595) to round out the top five teams.
Fredrik Nilehn of Kennesaw State set a tournament – and school – record with an opening-round 8-under-par 64, followed by a 2-under 70 to lead the 64-golfer field by three strokes over teammate Austin Vick. Nilehn carded a 10-under-par 134, while Vick shot 69 and 68 for a 137.
The third and final round is scheduled for Tuesday with tee times off both the front and back nine beginning at 8:10 a.m.