Daufuskie Island, S.C. - With a pair in the top 10, the Georgia State men's golf team stands in fourth place after 36 holes of the Rees Jones Collegiate Invitational. Sophomore Tyler Gruca and senior Clemens Dvorak are tied for seventh at 4-over par entering Tuesday's final round.
The Panthers used their most consistent golf of the early season to shoot rounds of 301 and 302 on Monday to stand just nine strokes off the lead and one stroke behind third place Wake Forest.
"I was extremely pleased with the way we played today," commented head coach Joe Inman. "I felt as though after a disappointing result last week, the team had a new hunger to get back out on the course and it showed today.
"Tyler and Clemens each had special rounds for us on a tough course and in tough conditions. If we can finish strong tomorrow, we will have a lot of momentum going into our own tournament in two weeks at Berkeley Hills."
Dvorak, in his first year with the Panthers, was tied for second following an opening round 72. He followed in the afternoon with a 76, as scored averaged 77.50 strokes per round in the tough conditions.
Gruca on the other hand opened with a 76 and followed with a 72 to jump 15 spots in the standings. He will be looking for his best collegiate finish to date on Tuesday.
Sophomore Grant Cagle made his season debut, shooting rounds of 76 and 77 to stand in a tie for 26th following Monday's action.
Teammate Davin White, playing in just his second tournament, stands one stroke back following a pair of 77's. He is currently in a tie for 32nd.
Rounding out the line-up is redshirt-senior Jared Cagle who followed an opening round 81 with an afternoon 77 to move into a tie for 45th.
Iowa State was the only team to break 300 in both rounds to take the lead at 18-over. The Cyclones shot rounds of 298 and 296 to hold a four-stroke lead over South Carolina, hosting the event for the first time in its four-year history. The Gamecocks put together the best round of the day with a second-18 293. Following Wake Forest at 26-over and Georgia State at 27-over is Kennesaw State in fifth at 29-over.
Iowa State's Nate McCoy holds a commanding seven-stroke lead after putting together two of the best rounds of the day. Following a morning 68, McCoy followed with a 2-under par 70 to stand ahead of Wake Forest's Lee Bedford and South Carolina's Dykes Harbin who are tied for second at 1-over. Kennesaw State's Ben Greene stands in fourth at 2-over par, followed by Jacksonville's Jamey Salmon and Iowa State's Scott Fernanadez tied for fifth at 3-over.
Haig Point's signature golf course, which debuted at 28th in the country by Golf Digest and 68th in the world by Golf Magazine when it first opened 22 years ago, recently underwent a $5.5 million renovation and restoration overseen by Rees Jones. The renovations earned the Rees Jones Signature Course as the third "Best Remodel" from Golf Digest in 2007. The par-72 course measures 7,380 yards.
This marks the Panthers third appearance in four years to the private island. State has had a great deal of success in its two previous trips, finishing second in the inaugural event in 2008, followed by a sixth place finish in 2009. Both times the Panthers had an individual golfer finish in the top five as Tobias Rosendahl finished third in 2008 and Tom Sherreard finished fourth in 2009.
The final round will begin with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Full results will be made available following the conclusion of play.
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