GREENSBORO, N.C. — After opening with a 14-over 302 in the first round, the LSU men’s golf team roared back with an even-par round of 288 in the second round to finish Monday’s action in ninth place at the UNCG Bridgestone Collegiate Championship.
Three Tigers broke par in the afternoon round to lead the squad, which posted a 36-hole score of 14-over par 590 to finish the day just 10 shots out of the lead in the team standings.
The Tigers rebounded from a rough start as they were 5-over par as a team over the last 27 holes after opening the first round with a cumulative total of 9-over par in the first nine holes. The start of the first round was delayed one hour due to frost with temperatures dipping into the 30s.
“We played well over our last 27 holes today, and we need to come out with that same focus when we tee off tomorrow,” said LSU head coach Chuck Winstead. “Scores were higher across the board in the morning with the wind blowing and it being as cold as it was, but they gradually improved as it warmed up over the course of the day.”
Freshman John Peterson is on the verge of earning his first career top-10 finish as he fired his second lowest round of the season with a 2-under 70 in the second round, wrapping up the day in a tie for 13th place with a two-round total of 1-over 145.
The native of Fort Worth, Texas, birdied two of his first five holes in the afternoon and finished with 13 straight pars en route to his best round since firing a 4-under 67 in the first round of his collegiate debut at the Scenic City Invitational back on Sept. 10.
Fellow freshman Andrew Loupe finished one shot behind Peterson in a tie for 16th place at 2-over 146. Loupe carded three birdies in the afternoon to finish the second round with a 1-under 71.
Matching Peterson’s effort in the afternoon was junior Jarrod Barsamian, who followed an 8-over 80 in the opening round with an impressive 2-under par 70 in the second round that featured three birdies and one bogey on his card. Barsamian enters the final round in a tie for 42nd place at 6-over 150, while senior Brian Noonan is tied for 62nd and freshman Clayton Rotz is in 69th place.
“We need to carry the same focus and mindset we showed over the last 27 holes today into the final round tomorrow,” Winstead said. “We had three very good rounds in the afternoon today, and these guys are capable of going out and matching that effort again in the morning.”
Just 10 shots separate the Tigers from the top of the leader board as the North Carolina Tar Heels hold a slim one-stroke lead heading into the final round after posting a 36-hole score of 4-over 580. Kent State and Louisville are tied for second place at 5-over 581.
Louisville senior Derek Fathauer is two shots in front in individual standings after following a 1-under 71 in the first round with a tournament low 5-under 67 in the second for a 6-under 138.
The Tigers are paired with Central Florida and Indiana in Tuesday’s final round and will tee off from the first tee beginning at 9:15 a.m. CDT. This marks the end of the fall season for the Tigers as live scoring of the final round will be provided by Golfstat and can be found online by logging on to the organization’s official website at www.golfstat.com.
BRIDGESTONE COLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIP ? SECOND ROUND RESULTS
TEAM SCORES (Par 576)
1. North Carolina 294-286 ? 580 +4; t2. Kent State 293-288 ? 581 +5; t2. Louisville 300-281 ? 581 +5; 4. Memphis 293-290 ? 583 +7; 5. Mississippi State 300-286 ? 586 +10; t6. Central Florida 294-293 ? 587 +11; t6. Notre Dame 292-295 ? 587 +11; 8. Indiana 298-291 ? 589 +13; 9. LSU 302-288 ? 590 +14; t10. Wake Forest 294-297 ? 591 +15; t10. College of Charleston 292-299 ? 591 +15; 12. Arkansas 304-288 ? 592 +16; 13. UNC-Greensboro 296-300 ? 596 +20; 14. Toledo 308-293 ? 601 +25; 15. Maryland 308-296 ? 604 +28
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 144)
1. Derek Fathauer, Louisville, 71-67 ? 138 -6; t2. Brett Cairns, Kent State, 72-68 ? 140 -4; t2. Josh Sandman, Notre Dame, 68-72 ? 140 -4; t4. Barden Berry, North Carolina, 72-70 ? 142 -2; t4. David Holzworth, North Carolina, 73-69 ? 142 -2; t4. Nathan Stamey, UNC-Greensboro, 68-74 ? 142 -2; t7. David Markle, Kent State, 73-70 ? 143 -1; t7. Ian Rochester, Memphis, 70-73 ? 143 -1; t9. Adam Hadwin, Louisville, 79-65 ? 144 E; t9. Andrew Landry, Arkansas, 72-72 ? 144 E; t9. Kevin O’Connell, North Carolina, 72-72 ? 144 E; t9. Logan Young, Mississippi State, 75-69 ? 144 E
LSU SCORES
T13. John Peterson 75-70 ? 145 +1
T16. Andrew Loupe 75-71 ? 146 +2
T42. Jarrod Barsamian 80-70 ? 150 +6
T62. Brian Noonan 77-77 ? 154 +10
69. Clayton Rotz 75-80 ? 155 +11