May 17, 2013
Tournament Central
NCAA Regional Round 2
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Stanford scored an 11-over-par 295, tying for third after two rounds of the NCAA D1 Men's Golf Regional hosted by Ohio State on Friday at the par-71 Scarlet Course.
Three strokes separate first and sixth in a postseason tournament where the top five teams advance to the finals.
No. 23 (Golfweek) South Carolina is tied for first with No. 30 UNLV at 16-over-par 584 overall. The Gamecocks opened with the second-best score yesterday at 288 and fired a 296 today, while the Rebels posted a pair of 292s.
Two strokes behind are the No. 10 Cardinal (291-295) and No. 19 Auburn (293-293), both are tied for third at 586.
Tied for fifth are No. 39 Texas Tech (299-288) and No. 5 New Mexico (294-293) with 587.
"It is really bunched up," said The Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray. "We had a decent day. We didn't lose much ground but we were hoping to separate ourselves a little bit, so it boils down to a big round tomorrow."
"We're going to have to control our golf ball, eliminate mistakes and really do the fundamental things well, such as hitting the ball in the fairway, hitting the ball in the green and 2-putting a lot for pars," Ray continued. "Our guys are up for the challenge and I feel like we had some solid contributions across the board this week."
After opening in a 10th-place tie, Patrick Rodgers moved to a tie for sixth. The sophomore heads into the final day with a pair of 72s for two-over-par 144.
In the second round Rodgers bogeyed the first, second and fifth holes.
"I got off to an awful start score-wise but I wasn't hitting poor golf shots," said Rodgers, a two-time All-Pac-12 First Team selection. "I got a few bad breaks and missed a few up and downs. I knew I was playing well and the golf course was playing tough so pars would make up shots."
Rodgers--who holds a 70.7 stroke average (33 rounds)--came back with birdies on the ninth and 12th to lead the Cardinal.
"I told myself I was going to turn it around on the ninth tee," Rodgers continued. "I knew I could put some good holes together and I just needed an extra bit of intensity. I had some good chances in the middle of the round and did well to stay at one over the rest of the way."
One stroke behind Rodgers is Cameron Wilson (70-75) who is tied for 10th at 145. Through the front nine, Wilson went even after a bogey on the fifth was paired with a birdie on the eighth. The junior then fell four strokes back with bogeys on 12 and 13, followed by a double bogey on 16.
"On the back nine I compounded some bad breaks with costly mental errors," Wilson said. "I was above the hole and couldn't save par from those tough spots. On 16, I hit a poor tee shot and couldn't reach the green. Then I went under the ball and left myself a tough bogey save."
"I need to putt better to have a chance to win," continued Wilson, who trails the individual leader by five strokes. "With a good start it's not unrealistic."
Opening with a 76, David Boote recorded a 73 for the second-best score for the Cardinal today. The freshman is tied for 25th at 149.
Senior Andrew Yun (77-75) finished two strokes better today and is tied for 45th at 152. One stroke behind Yun was Steve Kearney (73-80), who is tied for 56th at 153.
The Cardinal tees off with Texas Tech and New Mexico off the first hole at 4:50 a.m. (PT). Live scoring is on Golfstat and more information can be found at the Tournament Central page.
"We are not new to a packed leaderboard," Rodgers said. "We have prepared for this all year and will be ready to compete. The golf course will be demanding so it will take quality golf shots and mental discipline. I am going to go out and play my best and trust in my teammates."
Six 54-hole regional competitions will be conducted with 13 teams and 10 individuals at three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals. The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals at The Capital City Club, Crabapple Course hosted by Georgia Tech on May 28-June 2.
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