CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. ? Playing in damp and windy second-round conditions, Georgia State senior Joel Sjoholm posted a two-under par 69 to move into the top-15 overall at the 2008 NCAA East Regional, while the 41st-ranked Panthers carded a team score of 286 (+2) to move up to 16th at Council Fire Golf Club on Friday.
The Panthers sit at five-over par (573) to rest tied for 16th, while Sjoholm's second-straight round of 69 (138, -4) moved the native of Sweden into a tie for 13th.
“It was a long day out there again,” said Georgia State head coach Matt Clark. “We had it early, but then started to struggle and it's been that way all year. Now, we're going to wait and see what the scoreboard looks like and then see if we can put together a low round like we did at the conference championship.”
The Panthers shot a final-round team score of 274 at the Colonial Athletic Association, tying the second-lowest team round in State history, to win the conference championships and earn an automatic berth to Regionals.
Sjoholm, the nation's fifth-ranked player and top-rated player in the East Regional field, posted three birdies and just one bogey in his round to lead the Panthers. He currently trails the field's leader by seven strokes after UAB's Zach Sucher posted a nine-under par 62 to jump to the lead.
Sjoholm, a senior, was named the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and won the individual title at the conference championship.
In addition to Sjoholm's round of 69, sophomore Tom Sherreard posted an under par second-round score of 70 (-1) to sit tied for 49th among the 27-team, 141-player field on the par-71, 6,961-yard layout.
“I played well in the beginning, but the back nine was tougher,” said Sherreard, who ranks 84th nationally. “I had some really good putts coming in and it was a scrappy day. I hit the irons really well today and, apart from a few mistakes, had a good round.”
Sophomore Maurice Jordan carded a second-round score of 72 (+1) to rest tied for 70th, while freshmen Alex Castro and Brent Paul recorded rounds of 75 (+4) and 78 (+7) respectively.
With one round remaining, the Panthers will attempt to move into the top 10 tomorrow in the third and final round of the NCAA East Regional. The top-10 teams in the field and top-two individuals not affiliated with an advancing team move on to compete in the NCAA Championship.
Georgia State currently trails 10th place by nine strokes. Michigan State and Middle Tennessee State are currently tied for the last position to advance to the Finals at four-under par (564).
Updates will be posted to GeorgiaStateSports.com following the completion of third-round action and live scoring can e found at GolfStat.com.
Third-round tee times were unavailable at the time of publication but can be found at GolfStat.com later this evening.
Georgia State Individual Scores:
T13t ? Joel Sjoholm ? 69-69 ? 138, -4
T49th ? Tom Sherreard ? 73-70 ? 143, +1
T70th ? Maurice Jordan ? 73-72 ? 145, +3
T89th ? Alex Castro ? 72-75 ? 147, +5
135th ? Brent Paul ? 77-78 ? 155, +13
