Wilmington, Del. - With three golfers among the top 10, Georgia State stands just one stroke off the lead at the 2012 CAA Men's Golf Championship at Wilmington (Del.) Country Club entering Sunday's final round.
Capped by sophomore Tyler Gruca's even par round, the Panthers shot a second round 297 and stand at 29-over, just one stroke behind UNCW. Conditions improved following Friday's difficult first day, however temperatures remained in the 50's with a light wind and tougher pin placements on Saturday.
Gruca, the only Panther with previous CAA Championship experience before this weekend, jumped nine spots in the standings and is currently tied for seventh at 6-over par with teammate Damon Stephenson. Gruca's round featured three birdies, including the tough par 4 ninth.
Despite a second round 77, Stephenson dropped only five spots in the standings. After a difficult opening nine, he rebounded to shot just 1-over on the back nine, including a birdie on the par 5 14th.
"Our team continued to battle hard," commented head coach Joe Inman after the round. "We played the front nine much better today as compared with yesterday, however, we struggled more on the back nine. I know our team is ready to put one solid round together on Sunday and give us a great chance to win the title.
"I thought Tyler and Davin played extremely well today. Both were disappointed after their opening rounds and each bounced back nicely. I expect them to finish strong tomorrow."
Making his CAA debut, freshman Davin White shot a second round 72 to move into a tie for ninth at 7-over. After an opening round with no birdies, yet 13 pars, White birdied the 11th and then followed with an eagle-three at the par five 14th, finishing the back nine at 1-under.
Sophomore Grant Cagle shot a second round 77 and stands at 10-over entering Sunday's final round, tied for 13th.
Senior Clemens Dvorak rounded out the Panthers line-up with a second day 78. Entering the final round, he is 13-over and tied for 32nd.
After trailing by one stroke after the first day, UNCW used a second round 11-over 295 to take a one stroke lead over the Panthers entering Sunday's final day of play. GSU is tied with Old Dominion which shot the second lowest round of the tournament, a 6-over 290 on Saturday. The three teams will be paired together for the final 18 holes.
George Mason shot a second round 292 to stand alone in fourth place, just four off the lead, followed by VCU and Delaware which are tied for fifth at 33-over, just five off the lead. The Blue Hens, who are hosting the event, shot a tournament low 5-over 289 on Saturday.
The winning team receives the CAA's automatic bid to one of six NCAA Regional sites, which will be played May 17-19. The full field of teams and individuals will be announced as part of the selection show on May 7.
Delaware's Greg Matthias shot a tournament low 3-under 68 to take the individual lead at 2-under with 18 holes to play. He is two strokes ahead of first round leader Marc Dobias of VCU who shot a second round 72 and is at even par thru 36 holes. Old Dominion's Jamison Randall is alone in third at 3-over, followed by teammate Tom Wilde and George Mason's Kevin Yerks in fourth, each 4-over par.
Since joining the CAA the Panthers have won a pair of conference titles, 2006 and 2008, and lost in a one-hole playoff to VCU in 2009.
Wilmington Country Club, which dates back to 1901, has 36 holes of golf and has hosted six USGA events in the past. The South Course, which will be used for the championship, measures to 7,334 yards and plays to a par 71. Recently renovated by Keith Foster in 2008, Golf Digest named it the sixth best course remodel in 2009.
Live scoring of the final round of the 2012 CAA Championship will be available at GolfStat.com. The Panthers will tee off on Sunday beginning at 9:45 a.m. off of the first tee.
www.GeorgiaStateSports.com
