What You Need to Know:
* Senior JJ Grey shot a second-round 7-under 65 to move into a tie for second place following two rounds of the Schenkel Invitational.
* Georgia State sits tied for the lead with No. 4 Auburn at 23-under par following a second-round 9-under 279.
* Georgia State sits ahead of seven teams ranked in the top 50 in GolfStat's rankings entering Sunday's final round.
STATESBORO, Ga. – Senior JJ Grey shot a second-round career-low 7-under 65, tied for the eighth-lowest round in school history and just two strokes off the lowest, to lead Georgia State to 9-under 279 and a share of the lead entering the final round of the Schenkel Invitational at Forest Heights Country Club.
The Panthers sit at 23-under par, tied with No. 4 Auburn which shot a 19-under 269 on Saturday. The two schools sit one stroke ahead of No. 10 Wake Forest and No. 15 Vanderbilt which are tied for third at 22-under. No. 19 North Carolina rounds out the top five at 17-under par.
Grey's 65 is the lowest round for Georgia State since Tyler Gruca shot 65 at the 2013 AutoTrader.com Collegiate Classic. Two former Panthers have shot 63, the lowest round in program history. His round comes just one day after Alexander Herrmann shot 66 and the Panthers shot the second-lowest round in relation to par in program history.
The 279 is tied for the seventh-lowest second-round score in program history. Georgia State will need a final round 278 to tie the lowest three-round tournament score in program history.
“Our guys are showing that they enjoy playing with top teams in the country,” head coach Joe Inman said. “They have not been intimidated. This field is very close to what we could see in an NCAA Regional in May. Now we need to come out and finish strong tomorrow and see if we can come away with a win.”
Georgia State entered the tournament ranked No. 73 in the country. The 14-team field includes eight teams ranked in the top 50.
Following his first round 66, sophomore Alexander Herrmann shot an even par 72 on Saturday to sit at 6-under and tied for ninth. Twin brother Max Herrmann shot a 3-under 69 in the second round to sit at 7-under after 36 holes and tied for seventh.
Freshman Nick Budd shot a second round 1-over 73 and is even par, tied for 44th entering the final round. Junior Nathan Mallonee rounded out the line-up with a 2-over 74 and sits at 5-over, tied for 69th.
Freshman Nathan Williams, competing as an individual, sits alone in 81st place at 11-over par following a second round 77.
Auburn's Michael Johnson, ranked No. 7 in the country, tied Grey for the low round of the day and leads the event at 11-under par. Grey is tied with David Womble from Wake Forest for second place at 10-under, while Demon Deacon teammate Cameron Young is fourth at 9-under. UAB's Will Cannon and North Carolina's Ben Griffin are tied for fifth at 8-under.
The prestigious event has been won by the likes of Bubba Watson, Scott Verplank, Bob Tway, Hal Sutton, Andy Bean and Curtis Strange. Six U.S. Opens, four PGA Championships, two British Opens and two Masters titles are among the major wins by individuals who have posted a top-10 finish at the Schenkel Invitational during their collegiate careers.
Live scoring can be found throughout the tournament at Golfstat.com. Georgia State will be paired with Auburn and Wake Forest in the final round beginning off Hole No. 1 at 10 a.m.
Following the event, Georgia State will return to the course March 25-27, at the Furman Intercollegiate hosted by Furman in Greenville, S.C.
