Arkansas MGolf Holds Lead Through Rd2 at Blessings Collegiate Invitational
FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas men’s golf team tied for the low round on Tuesday with a 1-over-par 289 and extended its lead through 36 holes to seven strokes with a two-day total of 582 (+6) – thanks to four Razorbacks among the top six – at the sixth annual Blessings Collegiate Invitational, presented by Tyson Foods, at the Blessings Golf Club.
John Daly II and Erich Fortlage are tied for third (+1), one stroke off the individual lead, while Cam Smith and Niilo Maki-Petaja are tied for sixth (+2), two strokes behind leaders Simon Kwon (BYU) and Warren Thomis (Louisville) at an even par 144 with one round to go.
Arkansas (+6) leads Louisville by seven strokes (+13), followed by Brigham Young (+21), Kansas State (+24) and Missouri (+25). Maryland, which was +31 after round one, tied Arkansas for the low round on Tuesday with a 1-over, 289.
Fortlage started round two with bogeys on holes 1, 2 and 7. The sophomore played the final 11 holes bogey-free with birdies on holes 8, 13, 17 and 18. The birdie on 17 was nearly an ace and, on 18, he missed the green to the front right but chipped in for the birdie and a 1-under-par round of 71.
Daly started strong with birdies on holes 2 and 4. He bogeyed 7 but got back to 2-under for the day with a birdie on 10. He suffered bogeys on holes 11, 13 and 14 before getting back to even for the day with a birdie on the par-5 15.
Smith was leading most of the day thanks to four birdies and a bogey on the front nine. He slipped to 3-over for the day through 17 holes but rallied with an impressive birdie putt on 18 for a 2-over 74. Maki-Petaja double bogeyed the first hole but birdied holes 5 and 7 to make the turn at even par. He offset a birdie with a bogey on the back nine to finish with an even-par 72.
Gerardo Gomez climbed 22 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 22nd with a 2-over-par 74.
Among the Razorback individuals, Thomas Curry leads the way. The junior is tied for 18th with rounds of 72-77 for a 36-hole score of 149 (+5).
The third and final round of the Blessings Collegiate Invitational concludes on Wednesday with 18 final holes.
BLESSINGS COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 • 18 holes each day
Blessings Golf Club
Fayetteville, Ark.
Par 72 || 7,969 yards
Results Thru Rd2 (Men):
1 Arkansas 293-289=582 / +6
2 Louisville 299-290=589 / +13
3 Brigham Young 299-298=597 / +21
4 Kansas State 301-299=600 / +24
5 Missouri 306-295=601 / +25
6 Washington State 303-301=604 / +28
7 Kent State 302-303=605 / +29
8 Maryland 319-289=608 / +32
9 Mississippi State 311-298=609 / +33
10 UNC Greensboro 303-314=617 / +41
For more information, follow on:
Twitter – @RazorbackMGolf / @BlessingsCI
Instagram – @RazorbackWGolf / @blessingscollegiate
