Augusta, Ga. - On a 36-hole windy day, Georgia State opened play in the 33rd annual Insperity Augusta State Invitational on Saturday, shooting an opening round 313, followed by an afternoon 301, to stand in 16th place entering Sunday's final round.
With the PGA Tour's first major looming as the background, the Panthers entered the star-studded field at Forest Hills Golf Club looking to upset some of the top teams in the country with the Masters and Augusta National Golf Club as a backdrop just a few miles away.
"It was a tough day on the course for us," commented head coach Joe Inman. "On 36-hole days, it is imperative to get off to a good start and build some momentum. Unfortunately, we got off to a tough start and were not able to rebound. I am proud that we were able to play better in the afternoon in very windy conditions."
Freshman Tyler Gruca and Ross Mclister lead the Panthers in a tie for 59th. Each shot rounds of 79 and 73 on the par-72 Forest Hills Country Club course. Gruca's second round was highlighted by back-to-back birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, while Mclister's came with an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole during his first round.
Senior Alan Fowler shot rounds of 76 and 77 to stand in a tie for 66th place with one round to play. Fowler also recorded an eagle on the sixth hole, his coming in the second round.
Brothers Grant and Jared Cagle are tied for 82nd with 18 holes to play. Grant shot back to back 79's, while Jared opened with an 80 and improved to a 78 in the second round. Grant made a pair of birdies in each round, while Jared scored two in his second round.
Senior Brent Paul, competing as an individual, shot rounds of 83 and 84 to stand in a tie for 93rd.
No. 1 Oklahoma State leads the 17-team field by 10 strokes at 20-under par after shooting rounds of 277 and 279. No. 36 Tennessee is in second at 10-under par, followed by No. 31 Clemson at 1-under. No. 3 Alabama stands in fourth at 4-over par, followed by No. 6 Augusta State and No. 2 UCLA tied for fifth.
Oklahoma State's Kevin Tway, ranked third in the country, holds a four stroke lead over Tennessee's Danny Keddie entering Sunday's final round. Tway stands at 11-under par after tying the tournament record with an opening round 64. Fellow Cowboy Sean Einhaus stands in third at 5-under, followed by Lamar's M.J. Daffue at 4-under. Oklahoma State's Drew Page, Tennessee's Garrick Porteous and Alabama's Cory Whitsett stand in a tie for fifth at 3-under.
The Panthers are making their fifth straight appearance in the event which is always hosted the weekend before the Masters. State tied for third during its first appearance in 2007, propelling the Panthers to their fourth NCAA Championship appearance in seven years.
The list of past participants looks like something out of next week's Masters field. The likes of Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Justin Leonard, Brad Faxon, Graeme McDowell and Charles Howell III have all played in the tournament. Mickelson won for the first time in Augusta at Forest Hills, before adding three more titles in the same town, winning three green jackets.
Sunday's final round will begin off the first and tenth tees at 9 a.m. The Panthers will play with USC-Aiken beginning at 10:30 a.m. off the tenth tee.
The Panthers will have just one more warm-up before the CAA Championships following this weekend. State will return to action at the Yellow Jacket Classic at the Golf Club of Georgia on April 16-17.
Live scoring of Sunday's final round can be found at Golfstat.com.
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