ETSU carries one-shot advantage into Tuesday’s final round; Ege tied for the lead

GREENSBORO, Ga. (April 24, 2023) – The ETSU men’s golf team remains in the lead, while Mats Ege (Kristiansand, Norway) is still tied atop the individual leaderboard following second round play at the Southern Conference Championship on Monday from Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.

After opening round two with a three-shot lead, the Buccaneers now hold a one-shot advantage heading into Tuesday’s final round. The Blue & Gold posted a 7-under 281 and sit at 21-under-par 555 through 36 holes of competition. Chattanooga closed the gap after firing a 9-under 279, moving to 20-under-par 556 for the tournament. Furman, who was tied for second with Chattanooga at the start of the day, posted a 3-over 291, dipping to 8-under-par 568 following the first two days of play.

Things shifted early in the day on Monday as all five of Chattanooga’s players birdied the first hole – a par-5, 558-yard layout – while ETSU’s crew played it at one-over. From there, the Bucs were forced to play from behind and were three shots behind the Mocs at the turn. Despite playing the par-5, 580-yard No. 10 at four-under, ETSU was unable to gain ground as Chattanooga carded two birdies and an eagle to keep its three-stroke advantage. The Bucs then got shots back on No. 11, 12 and 13 to jump back into the lead, while collecting three birdies on the par-5, 560-yard No. 17 to keep ETSU atop the leaderboard at the conclusion of the day.

Through two rounds of competition, ETSU has generated 39 birdies, two eagles and 113 pars, compared to the Mocs posting 35 birdies, three eagles and 121 pars. The Bucs lead the field in par-4 scoring (+1), while Chattanooga jumped ahead of ETSU on the par-5s. The Mocs are playing the par-5s at 25-under, while the Bucs are at 20-under.

As ETSU and Chattanooga are battling for the team title, it’s only fitting the two in-state rivals are also contending the individual crown. Ege and Paul Conroy are tied for the lead at 10-under-par 134.

Ege carded a 4-under 68 on Monday, while Conroy was one better at 5-under 67. The Buccaneer leader was nearly flawless yet again, as he totaled five birdies, 12 pars and one bogey in round two. Ege is tied for the lead with 12 birdies through 36 holes, while he is second in par-5 scoring (-7) and Conroy leads in that statistical category at 9-under.

Freshman Matty Dodd-Berry (Wirral, England) is just one shot back in solo third at 9-under-par 135. Following his 66 on Sunday, the Buccaneer rookie posted a 3-under 69, which included him playing the back nine at three-under.

Archie Davies (Carlisle, England) jumped one spot up the leaderboard into a tie for sixth at 3-under-par 141. Davies added a 1-under 71 on Monday, while Algot Kleen (Fiskebackskil, Sweden) provided the fourth countable score for the Bucs at 1-over 73. Kleen finished the front nine with three birdies and a bogey, but he bogeyed two of his final four holes to finish with the 73.

ETSU and Chattanooga will be paired together for the final round as Kleen will be the first Buccaneer to tee off Tuesday morning at 8:55 a.m.

Fans can follow live scoring via Golfstat.com. In addition, live tweets will be available by following the Bucs on Twitter @ETSU_MGolf. 

For more information on Buccaneer men’s golf, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s golf page.