Troy University Athletics
Troy Women Close Gap On Day Two
4/21/2009 2:00:00 PM | Golf
HOUSTON, Texas ? The Troy University women's golf team finds itself in the same position after the second round of the Sun Belt Conference Golf Championship on Tuesday, but they are within striking distance of a top three finish.
The Trojans posted a season-best score of 302 on Tuesday and enter Wednesday's final round within three strokes of Florida Atlantic for third place.
Defending league champion Denver continued to pull away from the field on Tuesday by posting a four-under par team score of 284. The Pioneers lead second place UALR by 16 shots heading into the final round.
Troy's 302 on Tuesday on the Cypress Course at Cypresswood Country Club tied for the third lowest score of the day behind Denver and UALR (288). The Trojans stayed even with FAU and made up seven shots on Middle Tennessee.
Junior Desirae Zine (Vaccaville, Calif.) continues to lead the way for Troy after posting a second round score of 76. She stands in a tie for 16th overall in the field with a two-day score of 153, nine-over par.
It was sophomore Liz Balkcom (Juliette, Ga.) who made the biggest move on Tuesday, shooting an even-par round of 72 to move into a tie for 21st with a total score of 10-over par 154. Junior Kaley Branton (Cartersville, Ga.) is one shot back after a second round 77. She is tied for 25th with a score of 155 (+11).
“Liz played well all day,” Troy coach Matt Terry said. “She never got herself out of position much. She made a bogey on 17 and was disappointed with that, but she had a great round, especially after having a high-round on Monday.”
Freshmen Haley Lawrence (Prattville, Ala.) and Nikki Crowley (Phenix City, Ala.) stand tied for 27th and 30th respectively after posting second round scores of 79 and 77. Lawrence has a two-day total of 156 (+12) while Crowley is at 157 (+13).
UALR's Mallory Fraiche posted a two-under par score of 70 on Tuesday to take a two-shot lead over Shephanie Sherlock of Denver. Fraiche is at two-under (142) for the tournament while Sherlock is at even par (144). Three other players are within three shots of the lead entering the final round.
The Trojans will take to the course on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. and will play along side players from Middle Tennessee and FIU in the final round.
“The girls have played hard all year and it is good to see that start to pay off for them,” Terry said. “We have to come out and get after it tomorrow because it would be nice if we can catch the two teams ahead of us.”
The Troy men's golf team, playing on the Tradition Course at Cypresswood, did not have as good of a day at the SBC Championship. The Trojans posted a second round score of 303 and slid back a spot in the standings to ninth place.
On a day when eight of the 12 teams posted scores of less than 300, the Trojans could not keep pace as three of the five players posted three-over par scores of 75.
Junior Chase Whitehead (Eufaula, Ala.) leads the way for Troy. He is at five-over par for the tournament with a two-day score of 149. He is tied for 23rd overall in the event.
Sophomore Reid Merritt (Slocomb, Ala.) and senior Jay Harris (Killen, Ala.) are one shot back at six-over par, tied for 28th.
Senior Wes Parker (Enterprise, Ala.) struggled on Tuesday, shooting a 78 to fall into a tie for 46th with an eight-over par total score of 152. Freshman Rourke Van Der Spuy (Bluff, KwaZuluNatal, South Africa) posted a second straight score of 79 and is in 52nd place overall with a 14-over par score of 158.
“We are really struggling with the middle part of the course,” Terry said. “The biggest thing is they are not completely out of the golf tournament. They are 19 shots back, and that is five shots a man. They have a lot of confidence in themselves.
“I'd love to see them go out and post a low score tomorrow and put a little pressure on some of those other teams. They are disappointed in the way they have played, but I think they will play well tomorrow.”
Middle Tennessee and Denver both rallied past first round leader South Alabama on Tuesday, posting scores of 287 and 291 respectively to move into a tie for the lead at six-over par. USA dropped 18 shots from its first round score and is now two shots back at eight-over par.
New Orleans, North Texas and UALR are all within three shots of the lead heading into the final round of play on Wednesday.
Individually, Denver's Espen Kofstad has posted consecutive scores of 70 and owns a one-shot lead over first round leader Jack Hiluta of South Alabama. A total of six players are under par after the first two rounds, all coming from six different teams.
The Trojans will look to bounce back in Wednesday's final round when they tee off beginning at 8:15 a.m. Troy's players will play with players from ULL and Arkansas State in the final round.
The Trojans posted a season-best score of 302 on Tuesday and enter Wednesday's final round within three strokes of Florida Atlantic for third place.
Defending league champion Denver continued to pull away from the field on Tuesday by posting a four-under par team score of 284. The Pioneers lead second place UALR by 16 shots heading into the final round.
Troy's 302 on Tuesday on the Cypress Course at Cypresswood Country Club tied for the third lowest score of the day behind Denver and UALR (288). The Trojans stayed even with FAU and made up seven shots on Middle Tennessee.
Junior Desirae Zine (Vaccaville, Calif.) continues to lead the way for Troy after posting a second round score of 76. She stands in a tie for 16th overall in the field with a two-day score of 153, nine-over par.
It was sophomore Liz Balkcom (Juliette, Ga.) who made the biggest move on Tuesday, shooting an even-par round of 72 to move into a tie for 21st with a total score of 10-over par 154. Junior Kaley Branton (Cartersville, Ga.) is one shot back after a second round 77. She is tied for 25th with a score of 155 (+11).
“Liz played well all day,” Troy coach Matt Terry said. “She never got herself out of position much. She made a bogey on 17 and was disappointed with that, but she had a great round, especially after having a high-round on Monday.”
Freshmen Haley Lawrence (Prattville, Ala.) and Nikki Crowley (Phenix City, Ala.) stand tied for 27th and 30th respectively after posting second round scores of 79 and 77. Lawrence has a two-day total of 156 (+12) while Crowley is at 157 (+13).
UALR's Mallory Fraiche posted a two-under par score of 70 on Tuesday to take a two-shot lead over Shephanie Sherlock of Denver. Fraiche is at two-under (142) for the tournament while Sherlock is at even par (144). Three other players are within three shots of the lead entering the final round.
The Trojans will take to the course on Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. and will play along side players from Middle Tennessee and FIU in the final round.
“The girls have played hard all year and it is good to see that start to pay off for them,” Terry said. “We have to come out and get after it tomorrow because it would be nice if we can catch the two teams ahead of us.”
The Troy men's golf team, playing on the Tradition Course at Cypresswood, did not have as good of a day at the SBC Championship. The Trojans posted a second round score of 303 and slid back a spot in the standings to ninth place.
On a day when eight of the 12 teams posted scores of less than 300, the Trojans could not keep pace as three of the five players posted three-over par scores of 75.
Junior Chase Whitehead (Eufaula, Ala.) leads the way for Troy. He is at five-over par for the tournament with a two-day score of 149. He is tied for 23rd overall in the event.
Sophomore Reid Merritt (Slocomb, Ala.) and senior Jay Harris (Killen, Ala.) are one shot back at six-over par, tied for 28th.
Senior Wes Parker (Enterprise, Ala.) struggled on Tuesday, shooting a 78 to fall into a tie for 46th with an eight-over par total score of 152. Freshman Rourke Van Der Spuy (Bluff, KwaZuluNatal, South Africa) posted a second straight score of 79 and is in 52nd place overall with a 14-over par score of 158.
“We are really struggling with the middle part of the course,” Terry said. “The biggest thing is they are not completely out of the golf tournament. They are 19 shots back, and that is five shots a man. They have a lot of confidence in themselves.
“I'd love to see them go out and post a low score tomorrow and put a little pressure on some of those other teams. They are disappointed in the way they have played, but I think they will play well tomorrow.”
Middle Tennessee and Denver both rallied past first round leader South Alabama on Tuesday, posting scores of 287 and 291 respectively to move into a tie for the lead at six-over par. USA dropped 18 shots from its first round score and is now two shots back at eight-over par.
New Orleans, North Texas and UALR are all within three shots of the lead heading into the final round of play on Wednesday.
Individually, Denver's Espen Kofstad has posted consecutive scores of 70 and owns a one-shot lead over first round leader Jack Hiluta of South Alabama. A total of six players are under par after the first two rounds, all coming from six different teams.
The Trojans will look to bounce back in Wednesday's final round when they tee off beginning at 8:15 a.m. Troy's players will play with players from ULL and Arkansas State in the final round.
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