Alpharetta, Ga. - The Georgia State men's golf team improved by five strokes, but remained in 15th place after the second round of the United States Collegiate Championship on Monday afternoon. Senior Alan Fowler led the Panthers with an even par round of 72.
The Panthers, competing for the fourth time in five years at the Golf Club of Georgia, shot a second round 304 after opening the tournament with a 309 on Sunday. Hosted by cross-town rival Georgia Tech and often called "the Masters of college golf," the USCC will continue with the final 18 holes on Tuesday.
Fowler got off to a great start in the second round, with birdies on two of his first six holes, but a stretch of four bogeys over eight holes derailed his round. The senior rebounded with a pair of birdies over his final three holes for the round of 72 and stands in a tie for 40th after an opening round 77.
Walk-on freshman Tyler Gruca led the Panthers on day two with five birdies, but three costly double bogeys led Gruca to a second round 76. After back-to-back rounds of 76, Gruca stands in a tie for 54th.
Redshirt-junior Jared Cagle, who fired the Panthers top opening round on Sunday, shot a second round 80 to drop into a tie for 64th. Cagle shot 43 on his opening nine, but rebounded nicely with a 37 on his second. He shot 74 on the opening day of play.
For the second straight day, senior Brent Paul and freshman Victor Lavin fired identical rounds. On Monday, the duo each shot 78 and remain tied for 75th. Each opened with a round of 82 on Sunday.
Freshman Ross McLister, competing as an individual, shot a second round 77 and moved up into a tie for 71st with 18 holes remaining.
Host Georgia Tech, ranked 17th in the country, continued to hold a dominating lead over the rest of the field after a second round 285. The Yellow Jackets lead Southern Cal by 11 strokes. No. 16 Texas A&M stands third at 6-under, followed by No. 3 UCLA at 3-under. No. 13 Cal rounded out the top five of the 15-team field at 5-over par.
Georgia Tech's James White continues to lead after a second round 70. White fired an opening round 10-under, 62, and now leads the field by six strokes. Southern Cal's Steve Lim stands in second at 6-under, followed by Texas A&M's Jordan Russell at 5-under par. In a three-way tie for fourth at 4-under are UCLA's Patrick Cantlay, Georgia Tech's Paul Haley and Texas A&M's Cameron Peck.
The tournament typically brings future stars of the PGA Tour to The Golf Club of Georgia. Among the past participants are Rickie Fowler, who went from the 2009 USCC with Oklahoma State to the 2010 U.S. Ryder Cup team; Nationwide Tour standouts Jamie Lovemark (Southern Cal), Chris Kirk (Georgia) and Roberto Castro (Georgia Tech); and Rhys Davies (East Tennessee State) and Joel Sjoholm (Georgia State), who have earned victories playing as professionals in Europe.
The Panthers will return to the course on Tuesday morning beginning at 9:10 a.m. off the first tee. State will be paired with Clemson and South Carolina. Live scoring can be found at Golfstat.com.
Team Results
1. Georgia Tech - 271-285-556
2. Southern Cal - 288-279-567
3. Texas A&M - 284-286-570
4. UCLA - 286-287-573
5. Cal - 291-290-581
T6. Virginia - 289-293-582
T6. Duke - 292-290-582
8. Kent State - 294-295-589
9. Wake Forest - 300-291-591
10. Washington - 301-293-594
11. Florida State - 298-298-596
12. East Tennessee State - 300-302-602
13. Clemson - 303-300-603
14. South Carolina - 306-302-607
15. Georgia State - 309-304-613
Individual Results
T40. Alan Fowler - 77-72-149
T54. Tyler Gruca - 76-76-152
T64. Jared Cagle - 74-80-154
T71. Ross McLister - 80-77-157*
T75. Brent Paul - 82-78-160
T75. Victor Lavin - 82-78-160
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