Freshman Allen John's 73 (+1) vaulted him 16 spots up the leaderboard to 8th overall as the 49th-ranked (Golfweek) Georgia State men's golf team maintained its 5th of 15 position at the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational at the par 72, 6,895 yard Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Monday.
Georgia State finished with a 308 in the second round, moving them to +31 for the tournament. In a star-studded field, the Panthers are in front of nationally-ranked #4 Alabama, #17 TCU, #19 Tennessee, and #21 Chattanooga.
Louisiana State overtook Arizona State in the team competition by finishing at +15. In the individual competition, Zack Byrd of Coastal Carolina and James Byrne of Arizona State lead after firing 70 and 73, respectively, on Monday, to finish at -3 for the tournament.
John's 73 came courtesy of a gutty performance that included bouncing back from bogeying four of the first six holes of the round. John responded with birdies at numbers 7, 10, 11, and 14 before bogeying the 18th to finish +1.
After round two, John's 75-73?148 (+4) puts him one shot in front of Arizona State's 32nd-ranked Stephan Gross and two shots in front of Tennessee's 20th-ranked Chris Paisley.
On a tough scoring day that featured strong winds off of the ocean, junior Tom Sherreard actually moved two spots up the leaderboard after carding a 77 (+5). Sherreard has posted a 75-77?152 (+8) to finish 22nd after the second round.
Also, in 22nd position, is sophomore Tobias Rosendahl who followed his day one 72 (E) with an 80 (+8) today. Rosendahl and Sherreard both share a two-shot lead over Alabama's 8th-ranked Bud Cauley.
Sophomore Brent Paul jumped up the leaderboard 17 spots by shooting a 78 (+6) to go with his 80 (+8) from Sunday. Paul's 80-78?158 (+14) leaves him in 55th place.
Finally, sophomore Alan Fowler took a tumble down the leaderboard with an 82 (+10) after a day one 77 (+5) to drop him to 62nd place.
In the team competition, everyone's chasing 32nd-ranked LSU at +15. Following the Sun Devils are #10 Arizona State (+17), Georgia Southern (+24), UAB (+28), #49 Georgia State (+31), #46 Tulsa (+33), #48 Coastal Carolina (+33), #19 Tennessee (+34), #4 Alabama (+36), host North Florida (+36), #17 TCU (+43), #21 Chattanooga (+44), UNC Wilmington (+45), Furman (+46), and Duke (+55).
On Tuesday, the Panthers will try to wrap-up what could be a pivotal performance on the road to the NCAA Regionals, as they face an opportunity to score victories over several nationally ranked opponents.
The final round begins Tuesday and will be covered live on www.GolfStat.com with score updates every three holes. Results and stories will be available at www.GeorgiaStateSports.com at the end of competition.
