Tuesday, April 10, 2007

ALPHARETTA, Ga. (April 10, 2007) - Facing a highly difficult course layout and setup, the ETSU men's golf team and the rest of the U.S. Collegiate Championship field battled through Tuesday's second round at the Golf Club of Georgia's Lakeside Course.

On a day when only four players managed an even-par score, the 13^th-ranked Buccaneers ended the day tied for ninth on the team leaderboard, but the Bucs are still just 14 strokes back of team leader and No. 2-ranked Georgia. The Bulldogs - who stand at 15 over for the tournament - lead by two strokes over No. 12 Clemson.

"This is the cream of the crop in college golf and there are only four scores under par for the whole tournament," said ETSU head coach Fred Warren. "Our guys have been coming off the course saying it's the toughest test of golf they've ever faced. These are the best teams in the country and just look at the scores. It's been tough on everyone."

            Individually, ETSU senior and two-time, first-team All-American Rhys Davies (Bridgend, Wales) is currently tied for 12^th at 5-over 149. Davies, the nation's No. 3-ranked player, is just five strokes back of tournament individual leaders Tanner Ervin of Clemson and Webb Simpson of Wake Forest.

            Other ETSU results included a tie for 22^nd by junior Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland), a tie for 37^th by sophomore Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh, Scotland) and freshman Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland), and a tie for 66^th by junior Cian McNamara (Limerick, Ireland).

            Third and final round play at the U.S. Collegiate Championship will conclude on Wednesday. Fans can watch live scoring from the event by visiting Golfstat.com. A complete wrap up will be available at ETSUBucs.com following the day's play.