ETSU 11th at Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. – After Friday’s opening round of the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, ETSU senior Adrian Meronk said he needed to work on his putting.
It’s safe to say Meronk’s time on the practice green paid off.
The Buccaneer All-American charged up the leaderboard during second round play, as Meronk tied his lowest collegiate career score with a 6-under-par 66 Saturday at Blackthorn Club. This marked the third time Meronk has carded a 66, as he accomplished the feat last year at the Warrior Princeville Invitational and at the 2014 Mason Rudolph Championship.
Meronk, the 2015 SoCon Player of the Year, entered the day tied for 32nd, but after totaling an eagle and nine birdies – including five straight to end the round – the Wroclaw, Poland, native moved into contention heading into Sunday's final round. The Buccaneer senior, who recorded a triple-bogey on the par-5 No. 8 and a bogey on the par-4 No. 9, is tied for fifth at 4-under-par 140 and is four shots off the lead.
Charlotte’s Victor Wiggins and Virginia Tech’s Joey Lane began the day tied atop the individual leaderboard, but Wiggins gained a little bit of breathing room over the Hokie co-captain after registering a 5-under 67 on Saturday. Wiggins holds a two-stroke advantage over Lane at 8-under-par 136, while Virginia’s Derek Bard also hung up a 6-under 66, moving him into a tie for third at 5-under-par 139.
Lorenzo Scalise of Tennessee went low on Saturday as he posted a 7-under 65, which was one stroke shy of tying the tournament’s record for a single round.
As a team, ETSU shot a 4-under 284 on Saturday and sits in 11th place at 11-over-par 587 for the tournament. Like Meronk, fellow senior Gudmundur Kristjansson also put together a strong finish to his round as he birdied four of his final eight holes en route to recording a 1-under 71, while junior Mateusz Gradecki shot a 1-over 73. Senior Chris Hickman and freshman Geuntae Kim both finished at 2-over 74 on Saturday.
Penn State fired an 11-under 277 in round two and took over sole possession of first-place at 10-under-par 566. The 21st-ranked Nittany Lions, who began the day tied atop the leaderboard with two other teams, has a four-shot lead over No. 37 Kent State and are nine strokes ahead of No. 57 Louisville.
Following 36 holes, Hickman is tied for 32nd (2-over-par 146), while Kristjansson is tied for 55th (6-over-par 150) and Gradecki is tied for 59th (7-over-par 151). Meanwhile, redshirt freshman Conor Rodrigues and sophomore Cayman Ratliff are playing as individuals. Rodrigues, who finished at even-par 72 on Saturday, is tied for 39th and Ratliff is tied for 62nd at 8-over-par 152.
Sunday’s final round play gets underway at 8:30 a.m. ETSU is grouped with Virginia Tech and UNCW, and will tee off at 9:50 from No. 10.
Furman tied for 12th at Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. – Furman senior Preston Cole (+1) fired a second-round 69 to tie for 26th Saturday at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at the par-72, 7,147-yard Blackthorn Club at the Ridges. The Paladins (+19) are tied for 12th with UNCW (+19) entering Sunday’s round.
Cole carded five birdies in the round, including three on the back nine, to finish the day 3-under-par and enters the final round tied with junior Bryce Howell (+1), who also birdied five holes on Saturday. Howell scored consecutive birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to finish the round with a 75.
Senior Wehman Hopke (+4) had four birdies on Saturday to card a 76 and tie for 43rd, while freshman Connor Bruns (+13) recorded three birdies and is in 74th place entering the final round. Senior Preston Heyward (+17) is tied for 80th place. Sophomore Hunter Nichols (+11), who is playing as an individual, shot an even 72 with four birdies on the front nine to tie for 71st.
Penn State (-10) surged into the lead with a tournament-best 277 on Saturday. Kent State (-6) is second, while Louisville (-1) and Charlotte (-1) are tied for third. Missouri (E) rounds out the top five. Charlotte’s Victor Wiggins (-8) leads all individuals after scoring a 67 on Saturday for a two-round total of 136.
The final round of the 54-hole tournament begins Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The Paladins will tee off of No. 10 at 9 a.m.