Senior Joel Sjoholm shot a two-under par 70 to retain sole possession of first place in the second round of the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Florida, while the 50th-ranked Georgia State University men's golf team posted their second-straight team score of 296 to hold a tie for sixth place among a field that features 10 teams from the national top 30.

Sjoholm's 70 paced the Panthers in a second round delayed two hours by thunderstorms and wind in Florida and the senior ranked 14th nationally carded three birdies and an eagle on the par-five eighth to lead the field.

“Joel played another good round of golf today. He was playing amazing before the rain delay and was somewhere around four-under par when he had to leave the course,” said Georgia State head coach Matt Clark. “He posted another good score despite a hard round of golf in very windy conditions. If he can do it again tomorrow he'll be in good shape.”

The Panthers were between the eighth and 11 holes when a band of storms accompanied by high winds forced the players off the course.

Sjoholm currently leads host North Florida's Michael O'Neal by three strokes and a group of five golfers at one-under par, including Alabama's Michael Thompson, the top-ranked player in the nation.

“I've been trying to keep myself out of trouble this week,” explained Sjoholm, who hails from Gothenburg, Sweden. “The wind really played with your mind today.”

In addition to Sjoholm's strong performance, sophomore Tom Sherreard shot a one-over par 73 to move into a tie for 22nd along with sophomore Maurice Jordan who shot a second-round score of 76 (+4).

With a two-round total of 592 (+16), the Panthers rest nine strokes off the lead held by fourth-ranked Alabama at 583 (+7). The Panthers sit tied with 28th-ranked Pepperdine and are just one stroke behind third-ranked Charlotte and 12th-ranked Tennessee.

“This morning before the rain delay was the best and most inspired golf we've played all year,” added Clark. “I have feeling we were in the top three before the delay, but we still finished with another solid round of golf and when you're competing with teams from the top 10 in the country, it says a lot about your program. We've got one more day of golf and its going to be a tough one.”

Rounding out State's starting lineup, freshman Alex Castro carded a five-over par 77 in the second round, while junior Tim Freund contributed a six-over par 78.

The 18-hole third and final round will begin at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, with the Panthers' Castro teeing off in the first group and the following Panthers teeing off in the subsequent groupings.

Check GeorgiaStateSports.com for updates following the final round or visit GolfStat.com for live scoring.

Individual Results:
1st ? Joel Sjoholm ? 69-70--139, -5
T22nd ? Maurice Jordan ? 72-76--148, +4
T22nd ? Tom Sherreard ? 75-73--148, +4
T71st ? Tim Freund ? 80-78--158, +14

73rd ? Alex Castro ? 82-77--159, +15

Team Results:

Photographs courtesy of Sideline Sports.