Franklin, Tenn. - Led by true freshman Davin White's 1-over 72, Georgia State rebounded on day two of the Mason Rudolph Championship on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers improved by six strokes on The Legends Course to shoot a second round 295 and move into 12th place with 18 holes remaining.
White, who made his collegiate debut on Friday and shot 76, made four birdies, shooting 34-38 to move into a tie for 40th.
"Overall, I was pleased that we played better today," commented head coach Joe Inman. "We are still young and it will take some time to develop, but I like the direction we are headed. If we can improve by another handful of strokes on Sunday, we will be moving in the right direction."
Sophomore Tyler Gruca, who opened with an even par 71 on Friday, shot a second round 75 and stands in a tie for 31st. Gruca made three birdies, but a pair of double bogeys derailed his round.
Senior Clemens Dvorak and freshman Damon Stephenson each shot second round 74's. Dvorak improved by two strokes over round one with a 74 that included a birdie on the par-5 sixth hole and stands tied for 52nd entering the final round.
Stephenson, one of two true freshmen in the line-up, improved by seven strokes from round one with four birdies and seven bogeys to move into 71st place.
Senior Jared Cagle rounded out the line-up with a second day 80 and stands 74th with 18 holes to play.
Sam Jandel, a transfer making his debut with the Panthers, shot an 11-over 82.
Following a second round 279, Oklahoma took over first place at 4-under thru 36 holes. Middle Tennessee and Ole Miss stand in a tie for second at 3-under. The Rebels shot a second round 275, the best round of the tournament thus far. First round leader Georgia Southern dropped to fourth at 1-under, followed by Davidson in fifth at 4-over.
Akron's Charlie Bull, Davidson's John Skeadas and Joe David from Ole Miss stand tied for first at 5-under par. Bull and Skeadas each shot 66 to tie for the low individual rounds of the tournament. Middle Tennessee's Hunter Green stands one stroke back in fourth at 4-under, followed by Georgia Southern's Scott Wolfes in fifth at 2-under.
This will mark the 11th time the tournament has been competed in its current format. Georgia State's name appears throughout the record book, running away with the title in 2004 when Ty Harris set the tournament scoring record at 18-under after shooting the lowest round in tournament history, a 63, during the first round. The Panthers won the tournament by 20 strokes, as Harris recorded an 11-stroke victory.
Tee times continue on Sunday at 8:30 a.m. off both the first and tenth tees. Live scoring can be found throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com.
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