VERONA, N.Y. – Justin LaRue and Nick Rakes picked right up where they left off in the spring to start the fall season on Sunday. After helping lead Longwood to the Big South Championship last spring, the duo carded top 10 finishes to open the Red Bandana Invitational at the Kaluhyat Course at Turning Stone.
 
LaRue is tied for second following two rounds at par or better, and Rakes is tied for eighth following back-to-back rounds at one over par.
 
SCORING:
Kaluhyat Course at Turning Stone Resort
7,150 Yards, Par 72
 
Team
5. Longwood: 301-298—599 (+23)
 
Individual
T2. Justin LaRue: 71-72—143 (-1)
T8. Nick Rakes: 73-73—146 (+2)
T34. Scott Jordan: 77-78—155 (+11)
T40. Zane Moore: 80-76—156 (+12)
T47. Daniel George: 81-77—158 (+14)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
Coming off a summer that saw him play exceptional golf, LaRue fired an opening-round 71, and he followed it with an even-par 72 in the second round. He sits two strokes back from tournament leader Jack Pogorelc.
 
Rakes posted matching 73's in back-to-back rounds to close the day at two over. He sits only two shots back from a tie for fifth.
 
The duo helped the Lancers hold onto fifth, a mere two shots back from the University of Delaware in fourth and six back from George Mason in third. Longwood holds a five shot lead over Mount St. Mary's in sixth in the 15 team field.
 
Scott Jordan tied for 34^th after two rounds, and Zane Moore and Daniel George both shaved four shots from their opening rounds to move up into the top 50.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"The golf course was a tremendous test today," said Longwood Head Coach Kevin Fillman. "It was definitely one of the more difficult setups we've seen, especially for a 36-hole day. At the same time, we didn't do ourselves many favors as a whole throughout the day. We just made too many scores over bogey, and losing multiple shots at a time adds up very quickly around here.
 
"Even Justin and Nick weren't immune to big numbers, but both also did a great job of overcoming some tough situations by hanging in there and getting what they could out of their respective rounds. We have to, first, game plan, then, second, execute a little better for tomorrow's round. Once we clean some things up, we'll have a chance to move up the board a bit."
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood plays the third and final round of the tournament in the morning on Monday.
 
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