HOPKINSVILLE,Ky. – Austin Peay State University men's golf team climbed into fifth after two rounds at the F&M Bank APSU Intercollegiate, Monday, played at The Links at Novadell. Final-round play begins with a 9 a.m., Tuesday, shotgun start.
After a grim first round left the Govs in eighth and 12 strokes off the leader, Austin Peay bounced back with a four-under par 284 to move up three spots and close the gap to only five strokes. Towson held on to its lead and remains in first with a 575, followed by Ohio Valley Conference member Eastern Kentucky (576) and Oakland (576) each tied for second. Western Illinois is in fourth place (579) one stroke ahead of the Govs.
“We're only five shots back and we've been there before,” Kayden said. “I feel like we need a six- or seven-under par round tomorrow to do it. We're capable and we've got a chance. That's all you ask for going into your last round. We've got the whole OVC here and we're in second of all our league schools. We're only four shots back of EKU and they've played really well all fall.”
Senior Erik Barnes (t-4th) and freshman Dustin Korte (t-8th) carried the Govs in the second round with a pair of 69s. Barnes has a tourney-best 10 birdies, including three in his last six holes. Korte, meanwhile, made his living on the par-5s averaging 4.38 strokes per hole.
Junior Chris Dougill was steady with back-to-back 73s on the day and sits in 21st. Junior Brian Balthrop is t-62nd and improved on his first-round 77 to fire a 75 in the second round. Junior Luke Sherrod made the day's biggest improvement on the day, supplying a large part of the second-round boost with a season-low 73.
Individually, sophomore Andrew Miller is t-31st with a two-round 147, while senior Eric Anfinson is t-77th with a 155.
Heading into the final round, Barnes is looking to defend his title at the event. Oakland's Jakob Ziegler is the current leader after firing a second-round 66, which is currently the tourney low-round, for a two-round 138. Towson's Nyasha Mauchaza (139) and Western Illinois' Kyle Peterman (140) also sit ahead of Barnes.
“We played a lot better in the second round,” said Govs head coach Kirk Kayden. “Dustin shooting a 69, the first under-par round of his college career, was huge. Erik got some help today in that respect. Luke coming back with a 73 was good for him. Hopefully we can have a good day tomorrow, keep it in play and get some birdies rolling.”
-AP-
