June 1, 2011
TEMPE- Senior Jesper Kennegard shot a sizzling 4-under par 68 to help the Arizona State men's golf team move up six spots on the leaderboard at the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla. The Sun Devils quintet combined to card a 5-over par 293 in the second round and are in a tie for 12th place at 20-over par 596 (303-293) heading into the decisive third day.
The top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play will advance to a three-day match play tournament for the NCAA title.
After beginning the round in a tie for 108th, Kennegard recorded the second-lowest score of the day, a 4-under par 68, to soar into a tie for 28th at 2-over par 146 (78-68). He bogeyed the first hole of the day, his only one of the round, before rebounding with five birdies.
Senior James Byrne improved his position by 11 spots, from a tie for 47th to a tie for 36th, and sits at 3-over par 147 (73-74). He was 2-under heading into the second nine after collecting a pair of birdies, but three bogeys left him with a 1-over par 73, one stroke better than his first round score.
Junior Philip Francis, who also began the day in a tie for 108th, shot an even par 72 and is tied for 62nd with a 6-over par 150 (78-72). He was able to counter two early bogeys with a pair of birdies to better his first-round total by six strokes.
A pair of double-bogeys, coupled with three consecutive above-par holes on the second nine, left senior Scott Pinckney with an 8-over par 80. He dropped into a tie for 87th at 9-over par 153 (73-80).
Senior Oscar Zetterwall is tied for 141st following an 11-over par 83 in the second round. His two-day total stands at 18-over par 162 (79-83) after a triple-bogey on the first hole made his day tough from the beginning.
Georgia Tech remained in first place at 3-under par 573 (283-290) despite shooting a 2-over par 290 in the second round. UCLA is in second at 2-under par 574 (286-288) following an even par on the day and Illinois moved up two spots into third with the best team round of the day, a 1-under par 287, and is at 2-over par 578 (291-287). Georgia, at 3-over par 579 (291-288) and Alabama, at 4-over par 580 (288-292), are in fourth and fifth, respectively.
LSU's John Peterson, who began the day tied for 47th, shot a tournament-high 7-under par 65 to move into first place at 5-under par 139 (74-65). James White of Georgia Tech led after the first round but a shot a 1-over par 73 to fall a stroke behind at 4-under par 140 (67-73). UCLA freshman Patrick Cantlay is in third at 3-under par 141 (72-69) after carding a 3-under par 69.
Live scoring of the third round, teeing off at 7 a.m. (PT), will be available on ncaa.com.