BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Senior Chris Wells fired rounds of even-par 71 and 4-under 67 on Monday to lead the LSU men’s golf team into a tie for eighth place after two rounds of the prestigious Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate at Old Overton Club.
Wells is currently in a tie for 13th place in the individual standings at 4-under 138 and is in position to earn his eighth career top-10 finish, while the Tigers posted team rounds of 1-under 283 and 5-under 279 to tie 13th-ranked East Tennessee State for eighth place at 6-under 562 heading into Tuesday’s final round.
“I’m proud of our guys for the way they went out today and competed against a very strong field,” said LSU head coach Chuck Winstead. “They continue to show improvement every time they tee it up. We have another opportunity to go out and improve again tomorrow in what should be a great day for golf.”
Junior Brian Noonan followed his outstanding play in the season opener at the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate by firing rounds of 1-under 70 and 2-under 69 to sit in a tie for 17th place at 3-under 139. Fellow junior Beck Troutman finds himself one stroke back in a tie for 22nd at 2-under 140, while freshman Brent Blaum is tied for 42nd and sophomore Jarrod Barsamian is 59th.
“I’m happy for both Chris and Beck for the way they played today,” Winstead said. “They work hard and are good players, and it’s good to see them play the way we all know they are capable. They’ve played a lot of golf for LSU in the past, and it’s nice to see them regain the form that they’ve shown in past tournaments.
“I’m also proud of the way Brian Noonan continues to show his improvement from this time a year ago. He’s one of the hardest workers on the team, and it’s great to see all of the hard work he has put in over the past year carry over into a solid start to this season.”
Tournament host Alabama is in position to earn its third tournament title of the season as it leads Texas Tech by four strokes in the team standings at 26-under 542, while Red Raider freshman Will Griffin is the low individual by four strokes at 12-under 130, including a course tournament record of 9-under 62 in the afternoon round.
The Tigers are paired with East Tennessee State and Arizona in Tuesday’s final round and will tee it up from the 10th tee beginning at 8:50 a.m. Final round tee times are scheduled to begin for the rest of the 12-team field at 8 a.m. from holes No. 1 and No. 10.
JERRY PATE NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ? SECOND ROUND RESULTS
TEAM SCORES (Par 568)
1. Alabama 270-272 ? 542 -26; 2. Texas Tech 274-272 ? 546 -22; 3. UAB 272-279 ? 551 -17; 4. Texas 280-276 ? 556 -12; 5. Georgia State 277-280 ? 557 -11; 6. BYU 284-274 ? 558 -10; 7. Arizona 280-280 ? 560 -8; t8. LSU 283-279 ? 562 -6; t8. East Tennessee State 290-272 ? 562 -6; 10. Auburn 297-271 ? 568 E; 11. Tulsa 284-285 ? 569 +1; Purdue 287-283 ? 570 +2
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 142)
1. Will Griffin, Texas Tech, 68-62 ? 130 -12; t2. Peter Richardson, Purdue, 66-68 ? 134 -8; t2. Rhys Davies, East Tennessee State, 69-65 ? 134 -8; t2. Zack Sucher, UAB, 67-67 ? 134 -8; t2. Mark Haastrup, Georgia State, 63-71 ? 134 -8; t2. Joseph Sykora, Alabama, 67-67 ? 134 -8; t7. Brad Smith, UAB, 68-67 ? 135 -7; t7. Gator Todd, Alabama, 64-71 ? 135 -7; t7. Michael Thompson, Alabama, 68-67 ? 135 -7; t10. Daniel Summerhays, BYU, 68-69 ? 137 -5; t10. Glenn Northcut, Auburn, 71-66 ? 137 -5; t10. Jhonattan Vegas, Texas, 67-70 ? 137 -5
LSU SCORES
t13. Chris Wells 71-67 ? 138 -4
t17. Brian Noonan 70-69 ? 139 -3
t22. Beck Troutman 71-69 ? 140 -2
t42. Brent Blaum 71-74 ? 145 +3
59. Jarrod Barsamian 77-77 ? 154 +12