DADE CITY, Fla. – After struggling to find any type of rhythm Friday, Austin Peay State University men’s golf team posted a 14-shot improvement, Saturday, and currently sits in 12th place after two rounds at Ron Smith/USF Invitational, being played at Lake Jovita Golf Course.
The Govs shot 289, Saturday, after an opening-round 303, on the par-72, 5,900-yard course. The Govs 592 team total is 25 strokes off the pace set by Middle Tennessee, which continues to leads with a 567. Southeastern Louisiana sits second at with a 577, six shots ahead Ohio Valley Conference rival
“I was pleased with how our guys battled back today,” said head coach Kirk Kayden. “We had some guys really stepped up. This continues to be a tough course, but I thought we putted better today and that gave a chance to really lower our total strokes and move up some spots.”
Individually, the Govs had two of its five golfers make big moves in the second round. Freshman Brian Balthrop climbed eight spot, after starting the day tied for 25th, firing an three under-par 69 (76-69=145) sits in 17th. Joining Balthrop was junior Matt Coles (77-71=148), who moved up 29 spots and currently sits in 32nd. Sophomore Erik Barnes (75-75=150) finished the day tied for 53rd, while after struggling yesterday, senior Grant Leaver (78-74=152) bounced back finishing t-59th. Freshman Luke Sherrod (74-78=152) round out the Govs scores in 59th.
“It was exciting to see some of our younger players lead us,” said Kayden. “I was proud of Brian and Matt for shooting well. I’ve told our team that this spring our goal is to improve every round and I thought we took a step in the right direction today.”
The tourney’s final round will be played Sunday, with live stats available at www.Golfstat.com.
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