OLD HICKORY, Tenn. – Longwood men's golf put together another strong start to open up the Big Blue Intercollegiate on Tuesday afternoon on a perfect day for golf. The men sit tied for second out of 15 teams thanks to top five days from both Justin Larue, who tied for third, and Daniel George, who tied for fifth.
 
SCORES:
Hermitage Golf Club Presidents Reserve-Bermuda Greens
Old Hickory, Tenn.
Par 71, 7,020 Yards
 
2. Longwood: 285-281—566 (-2)
 
T3. Justin Larue: 71-67—138 (-4)
T5. Daniel George: 71-68—139 (-3)
T17. William Hoover*: 73-69—142 (E)
T25. Nick Rakes: 72-72—144 (+2)
T31. Brendan Dunphy: 71-74—145 (+3)
T53. Christian Michael: 73-75—148 (+6)
 
*Competed as an independent
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
For a sixth straight tournament, the Lancers have a chance to claim a top five finish on the stretch of a strong team performance. The course was pristine with little to no wind, and the Lancers took advantage in the 75-degree weather as five of the six players scored in the top half of the 90-player field.
 
Justin Larue tied a career best with a second-round 67. He vaulted up 12 spots into a tie for third after his opening-round 71. Earlier this season, he shot a 67 at The Manor Golf Club, Longwood's home course, at the Hampden-Sydney Invite.
 
Larue was tied for the second-best mark on the course on Par 4s, and he also shot below par on Par 3s. He was tied for the third-most birdies in the field with eight.
 
Meanwhile, Daniel George carded a second-round 68 for his lowest round of the season. He also climbed up the leaderboard and moved up 10 spots into a tie for fifth after his opening round 71.
 
George led the Lancers with nine birdies on the day, which was good for second in the field. He was also Longwood's top performer on Par 5s, averaging a 4.67 mark on those holes.
 
Nick Rakes kept an even pace on the day with back-to-back 72s to tie for 25^th, and Brendan Dunphy tied for the team's low round to open the day with a 71. He finished tied for 31^st after a final round of 74. Christian Michael rounded out the team scores with a 73-75 that had him tied for 53^rd.
 
As an independent, William Hoover also shot a second round in the 60s, tying a season-best with a 69. He was tied for 17^th after an opening round of 73.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"Today was an absolutely perfect day to score," said Longwood Head Coach Kevin Fillman. "Obviously, there were a few players who really took advantage of the weather and course conditions. Fortunately, a couple of us were among those who took advantage."
 
"I thought we did a good job of hanging around and making a lot of pars in the morning round," Fillman added. "Nobody wins that round, so we did pretty much what we needed to do early on. Then, when both Justin and Dan got it going a bit this afternoon, it allowed us to move into a contending position. We've been here before and have not quite closed it out yet, so we know we're going to have to be more committed and aggressive that we've been previously. I expect that we will be."
 
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 
Rakes led Longwood with 30 pars, which tied for the lead in the field.
 
Hoover was second on the team with 29 pars, which was tied for third in the field.
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood will play the third and final round of the spring regular season on Tuesday morning.
 
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