RICHMOND, Ky. – Longwood men's golf ripped off monster back-to-back rounds to vault to the lead after day one of the Colonel Shootout, hosted by Eastern Kentucky, on Saturday.
Gabriel Mainella leads the field by four shots, and
Hunter Swidzinski and
David Lafreniere joined him in the top 10.
The team's 543 (-17) score line is a 36-hole record, breaking the team's previous low mark of 557 (-11) set last year at both the Joe Feaganes Invitational and the Big South Championship. The 17-under par line is the second-best line relative to par, topped only by the team's 558 (-18) effort last year in the first two rounds of The Savannah Intercollegiate.
NOTABLE RESULTS:
In the opening round, Longwood was the only team to shoot under par, with a five-under275.
Then, the team really got going. The Lancers rolled to a 12-under 268 to break the team's 36-hole record.
Mainella led the way. The freshman threw down a four-under 66 on the Par 70 course, and he followed it up with a five-under 65 in the second round for a 66-65-131 (-9) that is the lowest raw 36-hole score in team history. His score tied for the second-best 36-hole score relative to par.
Over 36 holes, he had 10 birdies along with an eagle while holding the lead throughout large chunks of the day.
Swidzinski posted a solid one-under 69 to open the day, and he bettered it in round two with a two-under 68 for a 69-68—137 (-3). He is tied for fifth after firing nine birdies on the day.
Lafreniere shook off a slow first round with a big-time second round. He vaulted up 28 spots in the standings to climb into a tie for eighth with a five-under 65 for a two-round total of 73-65—138 (-2). In his second round, he had five birdies and 13 pars.
Cameron Hardison had a steady day to play into the top 20 with a 70-71—141 (+1). Of his 36 holes, he made par 31 times to finish the day tied for 15
th.
Josh Cummins battled his way to an even-par 70 in the opening round. He had five birdies in the first 18 holes, and he finished with a 70-72—142 (+2) to tie for 20
th.
Matthew Hartley joined him in a tie for 20
th in the 76-player field with a 71-71—142 (+2).
WHAT THEY SAID:
"I think two things really helped us today," said Longwood Head Coach
Kevin Fillman. "First, we were paired with Eastern Kentucky, and—even though we talk about every hole in our meetings and generally have a pretty good gameplan—it's always an advantage to see how those guys play the golf course. Secondly, we had a couple players start on some of the gettable holes, while others were able to finish on those same holes. Because of that, we were able to both start and finish with guys making some birdies. With the harder stretch coming in the middle of our rounds, we knew we had to bank birdies on those holes. Fortunately, we were able to do so."
"Obviously, Gabe was fantastic all day," Fillman added. "David really got it going in the afternoon round, and Hunter was solid all day as well. Everybody contributed, which is nice to see from such a young group. That's what it's going to take to finish it off tomorrow too. We're going to need everybody's help. This is a position I want this team to get used to being in. With it being the first time at this level for the majority of us, I can hardly wait to see how we handle it. It's going to be fun."
FULL RESULTS:
1. Longwood: 275-268—543 (-17)
2.T Eastern Kentucky: 280-278—558 (-2)
T2. Morehead State: 282-276—558 (-2)
4. Prairie View A&M: 282-284—566 (+6)
5. Mercyhurst: 288-284—572 (+12)
6. Centre: 290-288—578 (+18)
7. Marshall: 291-288—579 (+19)
8. Kentucky State: 290-290—580 (+20)
9. Pikeville: 291-293—584 (+24)
10. Tennessee State: 301-295—596 (+34)
Individaul (Longwood)
1.
Gabriel Mainella: 66-65—131 (-9)
T5.
Hunter Swidzinski: 69-68—137 (-3)
T8.
David Lafreniere: 73-65—138 (-2)
T15.
Cameron Hardison: 70-70—140 (E)
T20.
Josh Cummins: 70-72—142 (+2)
T20.
Matthew Hartley: 71-71—142 (+2)
UP NEXT:
The Lancers will tee off for the third and final round on Sunday morning. Live stats are available on
Scoreboard.
#GoWood #HorsePower
