Troy University Athletics
Eaves, Portemont Shine on Day Two
4/27/2010 10:00:00 PM | Golf (M)
MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. - The conditions were ideal for low scores in the early portion of the second round for the first three teams on the Fighting Joe at the Robert Trent Jones Trail, and the Troy University men's golf team took advantage of that situation.
The Trojans blazed through the first nine holes, shooting three-over as a team and bringing the field closer in the second round. However, after just over 2 hours and 30 minutes on the course, the conditions worsened as a storm front brought with it high winds and rain. The conditions didn't help the Trojans as they shot 13-over par on the back nine, closing the day with a 16-over par 304 in the second round.
The round was eight shots better than the first round and the Trojans were able to draw closer to some of the teams in front of them. They are now just six shots back of 10th-place Arkansas-Little Rock and eight shots back of ninth-place Florida Atlantic, which are both in range of the Trojans heading into the final round. The 16-over par score was the ninth best score turned in by any team on Tuesday, with the late morning tee times suffering due to the weather.
After a dismal opening round, the Trojans were able to record seven birdies on the opening nine holes with one player - Justin Eaves - making the turn under par. The other four Trojans were no worse than two-over par at the turn with Zach Portemont and Rourke Van Der Spuy making the turn at one-over par, while Reid Merritt and Ricky Casko made the turn at two-over par.
The back nine hit the Trojans when the conditions worsened, but no hole was worse than the par-three 13th hole. The wind was blowing across the hole, affecting tee shots from every team in the Trojans group. The hole has proved to be tough all week as the tee box is set to the left of the green, bringing the water into play. The players have to hit a draw in order to get the ball over the water and to the hole, making the bunker on the left come into play.
On the 13th hole, the Trojans shot eight-over par for the day with a bogey, two double bogeys and a triple bogey. Casko was able to tame the hole as his tee shot found the bunker. He was able to punch out of the bunker just above the hole, tapping in for the par save.
Although the 13th proved to be tough for the Trojans, they were able to connect for multiple birdies on four different holes Tuesday morning. On the par-four second, Portemont and Eaves both birded the hole; while on the par-five seventh hole the same pair were able to record birdies. The final two holes with multiple birdies for the Trojans were the par-four 11th (Van Der Spuy and Casko) and the par-four 15th (Portemont and Eaves).
The Trojans had a pair of individuals improve from the opening round to the second round on Tuesday.
Justin Eaves finished the day with a one-over par 73 on Tuesday, recording four birdies along the way. He also recorded eight pars, but was he was two-under par after the opening four holes. The senior had a chance to close the round at even-par 72 on the final hole, but missed a short par putt to finish with a bogey.
Meanwhile, Zach Portemont finished with a two-over par 74 to close out the second round. He was able to connect for two birdies and nine pars. Portemont turned in a one-over par on both sides of the course, with his best stretch coming with three consecutive pars from the 10th to the 12th. Like Eaves, he had a chance to close the round with lower score, but bogeyed the final hole.
The Trojans have two players listed in the top 30 heading into the final round. After an opening round 74, Casko finds himself tied for 28th with four other players at eight-over par 152; including Eaves. The duo finds itself 15 shots behind the leader - Oscar Zettawall of New Orleans - who carded a second-round 66 to finish at seven-under par through two rounds. The biggest move of the day came from North Texas' Carlos Ortiz who fell from first to 11th after the opening round. Ortiz shot eight-under 64 in the opening round, before following that up with an 11-over par in the second round.
Troy finds itself in 11th place heading into the final round with a 40-over par 616. They are one shot ahead of Denver and just six shots behind UALR. They are also just eight shots behind WKU, 10 shots behind Florida Atlantic and 14 shots behind WKU. The Trojans are within striking distance of several teams heading into the final round, with Middle Tennessee leading the tournament at 10-over par 586.
The Trojans hit the course for the final round at 7:30 am Wednesday morning with Denver and Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans will start play from the 10th tee on Wednesday morning.
