BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Oct. 9, 2006) - ETSU senior Rhys Davies (Bridgend, Wales) enjoyed his best round of the young 2006-07 golf season on Monday afternoon, firing a second round 65 to go with his first round 69 in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate at the Old Overton Club.

            Davies' combined score of 8-under-par 134 has him tied for second on the individual leaderboard, four strokes off the pace set by Texas Tech's Will Griffin. In addition, Davies' efforts powered the 13^th-ranked Buccaneers to an eighth-place team standing at 6-under for the event, while host school and No. 1-ranked Alabama currently leads the 12-team field with a score of 26-under 542.

            While Davies enjoyed an impressive outing, some of his teammates struggled during the two-round opening day. Though freshman Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland) provided a strong 3-under effort that has him tied for 17^th, no other ETSU player finished higher than 42^nd on the leaderboard.  In fact, Power's second round of 64 was the second lowest score ever at ETSU and the lowest round ever recorded by a freshman. While Griffin leads by four, Davies is joined by four other players in second place.

            The Bucs will continue with third and final round play at the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate on Tuesday, before heading back home to prepare for their own Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at The Ridges which is scheduled for the upcoming weekend.

ETSU fans can stay informed of the Bucs' play by visiting ETSUBucs.com and clicking on the men's golf link.