BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — LSU junior Brian Noonan followed a 2-over par 74 in the opening round with a career low 4-under 68 in the second round Monday to sit in sole possession of third place at the second-annual Shoal Creek Intercollegiate at Shoal Creek Country Club.
Noonan finds himself just one shot out of the lead at 2-under 142 and is in position to earn his best finish as an LSU Tiger. His afternoon round was highlighted by a 31 on the back nine that included an ace on the par-three 13th when he holed a 6-iron from 177 yards away.
The Tigers are in position to earn a solid finish in their first tournament of the season as they are currently in eighth place at 19-over 595, including the second lowest team round of the day with a 2-over 290 in the afternoon.
“We got off to a bit of a rough start early in the first round, but I’m proud of the way the guys maintained their composure and played a solid round in the afternoon,” said LSU head coach Chuck Winstead. “Their afternoon round was the second lowest of the day, and that’s just a testament to their fight and determination.
“What can you say about the way Brian Noonan played today? He played great in the afternoon, in particular with a 31 on his back nine that was helped by a hole-in-one on No. 13. We look forward to another opportunity to play a solid round tomorrow and better our position in the tournament.”
Senior Chris Wells and sophomore Jarrod Barsamian are each in a tie for 31st as they finished the first day of competition at 6-over 150, while freshman Brent Blaum finds himself in a tie for 51st at 9-over 153 and junior Beck Troutman is in a tie for 70th at 18-over 162.
The Alabama Crimson Tide currently hold a nine-shot lead over Central Florida in the team standings after firing back-to-back scores of even-par 288 to finish the day at even-par 576. Gator Todd of Alabama and Matt Savage of Florida State are tied atop the leader board in the chase for medalist honors at 3-under 141, just one stroke ahead of Noonan.
The Tigers are paired with Baylor and NC State in Tuesday’s final round and will tee off from the first hole beginning at 8:15 a.m. CDT. They break for two weeks before returning to Birmingham on Oct. 9 for an appearance in the prestigious Jerry Pate Intercollegiate from at Old Overton Golf Club.
SHOAL CREEK INTERCOLLEGIATE ? SECOND ROUND RESULTS
TEAM SCORES (Par 576)
1. Alabama 288-288 ? 576 E; 2. Central Florida 295-290 ? 585 +9; t3. Florida State 293-294 ? 587 +11; t3. Tennessee 290-297 ? 587 +11; 5. Michigan State 296-293 ? 589 +13; t6. Auburn 300-291 ? 591 +15; t6. NC State 296-295 ? 591 +15; 8. LSU 305-290 ? 595 +19; 9. Baylor 301-295 ? 596 +20; 10. SMU 294-303 ? 597 +21; 11. UAB 298-301 ? 599 +23; 12. Virginia 306-297 ? 603 +27; 13. Georgia Southern 305-299 ? 604 +28; 14. North Florida 305-301 ? 606 +30; 15. Samford 304-307 ? 611 +35
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 144)
t1. Gator Todd, Alabama, 68-73 ? 141 -3; t1. Matt Savage, Florida State, 69-72 ? 141 -3; 3. Brian Noonan, LSU, 74-68 ? 142 -2; t4. Jerry Richardson, NC State, 73-70 ? 143 -1; t4. Michael O’Neal, North Florida, 72-71 ? 143 -1; t4. Colt Knost, SMU, 70-73 ? 143 -1; t7. Jonas Blixt, Florida State, 68-76 ? 144 E; t7. Philip Pettitt, Tennessee, 72-72 ? 144 E; t7. Charles Ford, Tennessee, 75-69 ? 144 E
LSU SCORES
3. Brian Noonan 74-68 ? 142 -2
t31. Chris Wells 76-74 ? 150 +6
t31. Jarrod Barsamian 78-72 ? 150 +6
t51. Brent Blaum 77-76 ? 153 +9
t70. Beck Troutman 81-81 ? 162 +18