What you need to know:
* Georgia State opened the NCAA Lubbock Regional with a 3-over 287 to stand in a tie for 11th.
* Junior J.J. Grey shot the second-lowest round of his career and lowest in NCAA postseason play, a 4-under 67, to stand in a tie for seventh.
* Georgia State is just eight strokes out of fifth-place with 36 holes to play. The top five teams advance to the NCAA Championship later this month.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Led by a 4-under 67 from junior J.J. Grey, Georgia State opened the NCAA Lubbock Regional with a 3-over 287 to stand tied for 11th with 36 holes to play at The Rawls Course. Grey stands tied for seventh, just two strokes off the individual lead.
Georgia State, making its second-straight NCAA Regional appearance and 12th since 1999 stands just eight strokes back of fifth. The Panthers, which advanced to its fifth national championship appearance last year, must finish among the top five to qualify for the NCAA Championship in Bradenton, Fla., later this month.
Grey's round was his lowest in NCAA postseason competition and his second-lowest collegiate round after making four birdies and 14 pars.
“We didn't have the start that we wanted to,” head coach Joe Inman said. “However, our guys continued to grind and we are far from out of it. Eight strokes in collegiate golf can be made up quickly. We need to put together a good round on Friday to put us in position to finish in the top five.
“I thought J.J. played extremely well. He is making his third-straight NCAA Regional appearance and it showed today. He stayed composed even when he was in some tough spots and took advantage of birdie opportunities when they came his way.”
Senior Damon Stephenson opened with an even par round of 71 and stands tied for 35th. After reaching 2-under thru 10, Stephenson stumbled to 2-over for the round before birdies on the last two holes.
Freshman Max Herrmann shot a 1-over 72 on Thursday to stand in a tie for 42nd. After shooting 3-over on his opening nine, Herrmann bounced back with three birdies on his second-nine to shoot 2-under.
Sophomore Nathan Mallonee and freshman Alexander Herrmann stand tied for 71st following rounds of 77. Mallonee shot 42 on his first nine, but rebounded to shoot even on his second, while Herrmann opened with a 41, before shooting 36 on the front nine.
No. 2 Texas shot an opening round 11-under 273 to take a one-stroke lead entering the second round. No. 35 Houston stands second at 10-under, followed by No. 48 Duke in third at 8-under. No. 9 Texas Tech, which is serving as host is fourth at 6-under, while Purdue and No. 26 Cal are tied for fifth at 5-under.
Purdue's Austin Eoff opened play with a 6-under 65 to take a one-stroke lead on a host of other players. Tied for second are Houston's Kyle Pilgrim, Texas' Beau Hossler, Cal's K.K. Limbhasut, Texas-Pan American's Nicolas Platret and Kentucky's David Snyder, all at 5-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 UC Irvine and Charleston Southern on Friday. The group will tee off the 10th hole starting at 9:55 a.m. ET.
If Georgia State finishes among the top five teams, the Panthers will advance to the NCAA Championship for a second-straight season, May 29-June 3, in Bradenton, Fla., at Concession Golf Club.
