BRYAN, Texas — The Ole Miss men’s golf team carded a 3-under 285 Tuesday to climb into fifth place at the NCAA Bryan Regional at the Par-72, 7,146-yard Traditions Club.
While Ole Miss jumped into the coveted fifth spot above the cut line and created separation from sixth-place South Carolina, Mississippi State slipped one spot to 10th following an 11-over 299 that left it at 23-over 599 after two rounds. The top five teams advance to the championship rounds.
MSU senior Taylor Grant had the best round for the Bulldogs with three birdies for a 1-over 73.
“I felt like I played solid all day,” Grant said. “I was able to get some momentum early and fought hard coming in. It’s a demanding course, so par is always a good score.”
The senior opened the day with a 1-under 35 on the front nine and finished with par on each of his final six holes.
Grant and sophomore Garrett Johnson are MSU’s best performers through two rounds at 5-over for a share of 40th.
“I thought we did a better job of getting off to a solid start, but unfortunately we made too many mistakes and we never had control of this round,” MSU coach Dusty Smith said.
Senior Taylor Bibbs and sophomore Peng Pichaikool shot 3-over 75s. The duo is 6-over and 7-over-par, respectively.
Freshman Cameron Clarke carded a 1-under 35 on the back nine for a 4-over 76 for the round.
Texas A&M leads on its home course at 18-under after its second-consecutive 279 (-9). Clemson shot the best round of the tournament at 276 (-12). Baylor (282-288–570) and UCLA (288-288–576) played round two at even par to remain ahead of Ole Miss. At 3-over (294-285–579), Ole Miss holds an eight-shot cushion over South Carolina (293-294–587) for fifth place with 18 holes remaining.
Texas A&M’s Chandler Phillips and Brandon Smith remain atop the player leaderboard.
Ole Miss used rounds in the 60s by juniors Braden Thornberry (68) and Beau Briggs (69) to move up the leaderboard. The top five teams will advance to the NCAA Championships on May 25-30 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Furr’s 64 pushes Alabama into tie for lead at NCAA Stockton Regional
STOCKTON, Calif. — Freshman Wilson Furr carded a second round score of 8-under 64 Tuesday to help the seventh-ranked Alabama men’s golf team vault into a tie for first at 14-under par 562 (282-280) after 36 holes at the NCAA Stockton Regional.
Furr had nine birdies, including six in the final nine holes, en route to setting the program’s lowest 18-hole score in an NCAA Championship event. It also tied for the fourth-lowest mark in a round in program history. It was just one stroke behind his season-best 63 during the second-round at the Southeastern Conference Championships three weeks ago.
Furr, who is from Jackson, native entered the day in 37th position after carding a 1-over par 73 Monday, but he moved into a tie for fourth entering the final round of the three-day 54-hole event at 7-under par 137 (73-64). His 33-spot improvement was the largest by any individual in the field.
Senior Jonathan Hardee and junior Davis Riley join Furr as the trio rank among the top-20 individuals after 36 holes. Hardee is in a tie for 16th with a 3-under par 141 (68-73), while Riley finished the day with a two-day total of 2-under 142 (72-70).
Freshman Davis Shore is tied for 23rd with a 1-under par 143 (69-74) on the par 72, 7,239-yard Reserve at Spanos Park layout. Senior Lee Hodges is 58th with a 148 (75-73).
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