STATESBORO, Ga. ? LSU freshman Clayton Rotz followed his career best 4-under 68 in the first round with an even-par 72 Saturday to finish one stroke off the lead heading into Sunday’s final round in the esteemed Schenkel/E-Z-Go Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club.
Rotz finished strong with two birdies in his final three holes to finish the afternoon at even-par and post an impressive 36-hole score of 4-under par 140.
Freshman Andrew Loupe carded his second straight round of 1-under 71 to finish the day in a tie for 12th place with a 36-hole score of 2-under 142. Loupe is currently tied with six other golfers and is in excellent position to earn his second top-10 finish of the spring heading into the third and final round.
The dynamic freshman duo paced the LSU men’s golf team into sole possession of sixth place in the 18-team field with a two-day total of 2-over par 578. The Tigers will head into Sunday’s final round looking to finish a tournament under par for the first time during the spring season.
Sophomore Bryant Lach and freshman John Peterson each posted identical rounds of 2-over 74 for the second straight day. The pair sits in a tie for 41st place at 4-over 148 for the championship. Junior Jarrod Barsamian shot a 3-over 75 to tally a 36-hole score of 12-over 156.
The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will carry a two-stroke lead into the final round after scorching the course with a team score of 8-under 280. They have totaled an 11-under 565 in two rounds. South Carolina and Florida follow the Crimson Tide with scores of 9-under 567 and 7-under 569, respectively.
Six golfers currently sit atop the individual standings with a 36-hole score of 5-under 139, including four from the Southeastern Conference. It should make for an exciting final round as five other golfers are within one-stroke of the lead in a tie for seventh place, including Rotz.
The Tigers are paired with conference rival Tennessee and UAB in Sunday’s final round and will tee off from the front nine beginning at 8:12 a.m. CDT. Live scoring of the third and final round of the Schenkel/E-Z-Go Invitational will be provided by GolfStat and can be found online by logging on to the organization’s official website at www.golfstat.com.
SCHENKEL/E-Z-GO INVITATIONAL ? SECOND ROUND RESULTS
TEAM SCORES (PAR 576)
1. Alabama 285-280 ? 565 -11; 2. South Carolina 286-281 ? 567 -9; 3. Florida 290-279 ? 569 -7; 4. Tennessee 282-289 ? 571 -5; 5. UAB 286-289 ? 575 -1; 6. LSU 287-291 ? 578 +2; 7. Kentucky 294-289 ? 583 +7; 8. Augusta State 295-291 ? 586 +10; 9. Auburn 296-291 ? 587 +11; 10. North Carolina 298-290 ? 588 +12; 11. Georgia Southern 301-288 ? 589 +13; t12. Notre Dame 297-294 ? 591 +15; t12. Michigan State 295-296 ? 591 +15; t12. Minnesota 305-286 ? 591 +15; 15. North Carolina State 296-296 ? 592 +16; 16. North Florida 303-291 ? 594 +18; 17. New Mexico 304-294 ? 598 +22; 18. Boston College 318-305 ? 623 +47.
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (PAR 144)
t1. George Bryan IV, South Carolina, 73-66 ? 139 -5; t1. Billy Horschel, Florida, 72-67 ? 139 -5; t1. Brad Smith, UAB, 70-69 ? 139 -5; t1. Zach Sucher, UAB, 68-71 ? 139 -5; t1. Matthew Swan, Alabama, 71-68 ? 139 -5; t1. Manuel Villegas, Florida, 72-67 ? 139 -5; t7. Mark Anderson, South Carolina, 68-72 ? 140 -4; t7. Clayton Rotz, LSU, 68-72 ? 140 -4; t7. Michael Thompson, Alabama, 69-71 ? 140 -4; t7. Stewart Whitt, Alabama, 69-71 ? 140 -4.
LSU SCORES
T7. Clayton Rotz 68-72 ? 140 -4
T12. Andrew Loupe 71-71 ? 142 -2
T41. Bryant Lach 74-74 ? 148 +4
T41. John Peterson 74-74 ? 148 +4
T89 Jarrod Barsamian 81-75 ? 156 +12