What you need to know:
* Georgia State shot a 2-under 286 on Monday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Cabo del Sol Intercollegiate in Los Cabos, Mexico.
* Junior Nathan Mallonee stands just one stroke off the lead at 5-under thru 36 holes following a second round even par 72.
* Senior J.J. Grey and freshman Nick Budd each shot 2-under par 70s on Monday as four Panthers sit among the top 15.
LOS CABOS, MEXICO – Junior Nathan Mallonee stands at 5-under par, just one stroke off the lead and Georgia State sits two shots ahead of Georgia Southern for first place at the Cabo del Sol Intercollegiate entering the final round on Tuesday.
Georgia State shot a second round 2-under 286, the third-lowest round of the day, to maintain its two-stroke advantage at 6-under par entering the final round.
Mallonee, who held the lead after the first round, shot even par on Monday to stand tied for second as three Panthers finished at par or better. Senior J.J. Grey and freshman Nick Budd each added 2-under par 70s as Georgia State, which is making its first trip to Mexico, is just 18 holes away from its first win of the year.
“The guys put together another solid round today,” head coach Joe Inman said. “We put ourselves in a great position to go out and get a win on Tuesday and that is all you can ask. I was glad to see J.J. Grey bounce back with a nice round today and equally impressed by the play of Nick Budd. He has a bright collegiate career ahead of him.”
Grey made three birdies and an eagle during his second round, while Budd made six birdies, shooting a 4-under 32 on the front nine. Both are even par for the tournament, tied for 14th.
Sophomore Alexander Herrmann added a 2-over 74 on Monday and is tied for 10th at 1-under par. Sophomore Max Herrmann rounded out the line-up with a 3-over 75 and is tied for 46th at 13-over par entering the final round.
Georgia State also brought a “B-Team” to Mexico. Freshman Sam Asbury, making his collegiate debut this week, shot the squad's low round of the day, a 1-over 73, to stand tied for 30th at 5-over par with 18 holes to play.
Redshirt-freshman James Kyles is tied for 46th at 13-over par following a second-round 83, while freshman Nathan Williams is 49th at 15-over par following a 78.
Redshirt-freshman Sean Murphy added a second round 3-over 75 and is tied for 50th at 16-over, with sophomore Hayden Poole rounding out the line-up in 53rd at 17-over following an 80 on Tuesday.
Georgia State leads in-state rival Georgia Southern by two strokes after the Eagles shot the low round of the day, a 5-under 283, to move to 4-under for the tournament. UT Arlington stands in third at 1-under par, followed by Cal State Northridge in fourth at 2-over. Co-host Santa Clara rounds out the top five at 4-over par.
Santa Clara's Tyler Kertson leads the field following a 68 on Monday to stand at 6-under par. Mallonee is tied with Santa Clara's Hayden Shieh and Cal State Northridge's Tim Snyder for second at 5-under par. Seattle's Joe Harvie and UT Arlington's Zach Galliford are tied for fifth at 4-under par.
Georgia State will return to the Ocean Course on Tuesday and be paired with Georgia Southern and UT Arlington in a 9:30 a.m. ET shotgun start. Live scoring of the final round can be found at GolfStat.com.
Following this week's tournament, Georgia State will return home for the fifth annual AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic at Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth, Ga., Oct. 11-13. Admission is free to the public.
