KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Paced by a 2-under 282 in the afternoon, the Georgia State men's golf team has a share of the lead at the Irish Creek Collegiate entering the final round of play on Sunday. The Panthers, ranked No. 47 in the country, are tied with No. 50 North Florida at 2-over par.
Sophomore J.J. Grey shot rounds of 69 and 71 to stand at 2-under par and tied for third, three strokes off the lead after 36 holes of play.
Georgia State is looking for its second straight win after claiming a share of the Furman Intercollegiate with No. 10 Virginia Tech last Sunday.
The 16-team field will play the final 18 holes at The Club at Irish Creek, a par-71, 7,099-yard course on Sunday.
“I am really pleased that we have a share of the lead and will be in the last group heading into Sunday,” head coach Joe Inman said. “However, I am also a little disappointed because I think we left some strokes on the course. This is a really good field and I know that every stroke will matter when all is said and done tomorrow.”
Grey has been on a roll as of late, finishing in the top 25 in all five events this spring, including three top 10 finishes including a second-place finish just last week at Furman. He made eight birdies over the 36 holes on Saturday.
Junior Davin White shot rounds of 71 and 70 to stand at 1-under par and tied for seventh following the opening day of play. White made seven birdies on Saturday and is coming off a third-place finish at Furman last week.
Freshman Nathan Mallonee appeared to return to his form of the fall season with rounds of 72 and 71 to stand at 1-over par and tied for 13th entering the final round. Mallonee made six birdies on Saturday.
Junior Damon Stephenson rebounded from an opening round 76 to shoot a 1-under 70 in the afternoon and stands at 4-over and tied for 27th. Stephenson made 10 birdies on Saturday, but also four double bogeys which derailed a potential spot higher on the leaderboard.
Senior Tyler Gruca rounded out the Panthers line-up with rounds of 81 and 72 to stand at 11-over and tied for 74th. After struggling in the morning, Gruca made a pair of birdies in the second-round.
Georgia State and UNF lead Charlotte (+3) by one stroke. Duke is fourth at 9-over par with Ohio State rounding out the top five at 11-over. No. 36 Wake Forest and Notre Dame are tied for sixth at 12-over. The Panthers also lead the likes of North Carolina, East Carolina, Kansas, Indiana and future Sun Belt foe Appalachian State.
Charlotte's Thomas Rowland and UNF's MJ Maguire, ranked No. 54 in the country, are both 5-under after 36 holes and have a three stroke lead over the rest of the field. Grey is tied with North Carolina's Brandon Dalinka, Notre Dame's Niall Platt and Ohio State's Boo Timko for third at 2-under.
Live scoring of the entire 54-hole tournament will be available at Golfstat.com and on the Golfstat mobile app.
Georgia State will be paired with Charlotte and UNF, teeing off at 8:30 a.m. as a part of the final round shotgun.
Following the event, Georgia State will return to the course for the Sun Belt Conference Championship at Grand Bear Golf Course in Saucier, Miss., April 21-23.
