NINETY SIX, S.C. - After posting their best team score of the season in the opening round of the Big South Championship, Longwood shot three-shots better in the second round with a 282 (-2) as they rank fifth with one round remaining at the Patriot at Grand Harbor.
With scores of 285-282—567 (-1), the Lancers currently sit nine strokes out of first place, and are just one stroke out of pivotal fourth place, as the top-four teams following three rounds of stroke play will advance to match play on Wednesday, April 21 to crown a champion. Three Lancers shot par or better, as Longwood has three golfers in the top-21 through two rounds.
"I'm really proud of the way we fought today, especially after starting about as badly as we could have started," said Longwood head coach
Kevin Fillman. "I think every one of us was over par almost immediately, and a few were multiple shots over just a couple holes in. I challenged our guys last night to go out there and compete like it was more important to us than it is to everybody else. Battling back the way we did and turning what could have seriously been a nightmare into an under-par round, we definitely answered that challenge."
Despite the team score below par, things did not come easy for Longwood at the start of the round. Through the first four holes, the Lancers were a combined eight strokes over par. However, Longwood rallied to finish their round with the fourth-lowest total of the day, keeping within striking distance of the entire field entering Tuesday's final round.
Brendan Dunphy led the Lancer effort, shooting a team-best 69 (-2) to leap 11 spots into T-14
th with a two round card of 73-69—142 (E). Dunphy totaled four birdies with just two bogeys, filling the rest of his card with pars in a steady performance that included playing his final 11 holes at two-under par.
Brandon Weaver, who began the second round with a share of first place, followed just behind Dunphy with a 70 (-1), as he remains in the hunt for the individual title in a tie for fourth at 68-70—138 (-4). The senior picked up five birdies for the second-consecutive round, and has tallied the sixth most birdies in the field with 10.
Freshman
Nick Rakes delivered a consistent performance, firing an even-par 71 with two birdies and two bogeys to end at T-21
st with scores of 73-71—144 (+2). Rakes ended his round with 10-consecutive pars, and has racked up 20 over his first two rounds.
Christian Michael, who labored to begin his round as he was four over through four holes, rallied to play the final 14 holes at three-under par. He ended with four birdies, and fired a back-nine score of 33 (-2) to end the day in 33
rd with a card of 76-72—148 (+6).
"Brendan, Brandon and Nick were all very steady," added Fillman. "Each of those guys made a bunch of pars and were able to balance any mistakes they made by making birdies. For me, though, it was Christian's round that has given us a chance going into tomorrow. We needed another player to hang in and keep us in a position to get a top-four spot, and Christian responded after a very poor opening few holes."
As a team, the Lancers 282 marked the fourth-lowest round of the day. Radford recorded the low score of the day, shooting a 277 (-7) to move into second place behind first place Campbell by one stroke. Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb currently hold the third and fourth place spots, though the Lancers trail the Bulldogs by just a stroke and the Buccaneers by only four as they remain firmly in the mix heading into the final round of stroke play.
"We're going to have to go be tougher than everyone else again tomorrow," said Fillman. "We expected to have this opportunity coming down here, so I know we'll be tough. We'll have an even better chance when we throw some quality shots in there to take some of the unnecessary stress off our shoulders. It's going to be a ton of fun."
The Big South Championship will continue on Tuesday, April 20 as the Lancers look to keep their season alive by finishing stroke play in the top four. The final round will tee off at 8 a.m., with all scores tracked live on golfstat.com.
Team Leaderboard
1. Campbell, 280-278—558 (-10)
2. Radford, 282-277—559 (-9)
3. Charleston Southern, 280-283—563 (-5)
4. Gardner-Webb, 285-281—566 (-2)
5. Longwood, 285-282—567 (-1)
6. Winthrop, 285-291—576 (+8)
7. Presbyterian, 290-287—577 (+9)
8. USC Upstate, 291-291—582 (+14)
9. High Point, 294-295—589 (+21)
Longwood Results
T4.
Brandon Weaver, 68-70—138 (-4)
T14.
Brendan Dunphy, 73-69—142 (E)
T21.
Nick Rakes, 73-71—144 (+2)
T33.
Christian Michael, 76-72—148 (+6)
T41.
Miles Parroco, 71-81—152 (+10)
#GoWood
