UT's Paisley matches course record; Deacons grab team lead on second day at Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (Oct. 13, 2007) - With ideal weather and course conditions, the field at the 10^th annual Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at the Ridges took advantage in a big way, firing historically low scores during Saturday's second round play.

In the end, Tennessee's Chris Paisley matched the course and tournament record with an 8-under-par 64 to finish the day at 10-under for the event, three strokes better than North Carolina's Robert Riesen and Wake Forest's Brendan Gielow, and four strokes better than British Amateur champion Drew Weaver from Virginia Tech.

Meanwhile, in the team competition, Wake fired a 10-under 278 to take the top spot at 12-under 564 for the tournament, with host ETSU right on the Deamon Deacons' heels at 11-under 565. To put the day in historical perspective, Paisley's 64 and Wake's 278 marked the best second round individual and team scores in tournament history.

"I didn't putt the lights out. It wasn't like I made putts from all over the place," said Paisley when asked to describe his round. "I just hit it great. I only missed two greens and hit it inside 15 feet a lot. I was never stressed to make par. It was one of the few stress-free rounds I've ever had."

Meanwhile, Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas, whose team captured the 2002 Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate title, said his team had a goal once the round started.

"Our goal was to be in double digits under par, and we did that," Haas said. "With this weather and the course in great condition, when you get it going you can get some things done. Hopefully tomorrow will be more of the same and we can finish at 20 to 22-under. If we do that and someone still beats us, then hats off to them."

As for ETSU, the Bucs got another solid effort across the board, led by freshman Rhys Enoch (Cornwall, England), who finished the day tied for fifth at 5-under for the tournament. Meanwhile, senior Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) fired a team-best 3-under 69 on the day to finish tied for seventh at 4-under for the event. Along with Enoch and Shaw, sophomore Seamus Power (Waterford, Ireland) posted a 1-under 71 and is tied for 21^st, while true freshman Simon Doherty (Belfast, Northern Ireland) rebounded from a tough first round to post an even-par 72 on Saturday.

ETSU head coach Fred Warren said his team is playing well and happy to be in contention for a second straight year.

"There were definitely some peaks and valleys out there for us today," Warren said. "We're glad to be in the shape we're in because it was going the other way early for us, but we recouped and were able to stay in it. One shot is not a lot out there. We just want to keep doing what we're doing."

Third and final round play at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at the Ridges is scheduled for Sunday, with tee times beginning at 8 a.m. Admission is free and fans unable to attend can keep up with live scoring at Golfstat.com. Fans can also get a complete recap at ETSUBucs.com.