Kats climb, in 2nd as Ertel surges in Hawaii
10/31/2016 9:51:00 PM | Men's Golf
Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational • Oct. 30-Nov. 1
Princeville, Hawaii • Princeville Makai Golf Course • par-72, 7,223 yards
Team Leaderboard • Player Leaderboard • Round 3 Live Scoring
PRINCEVILLE, HI – The Sam Houston State men's golf team backed a strong opening-day start with a stellar second round at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational on Monday, climbing two spots on the leaderboard to sit in a tie for second.
The Bearkats, who shot nine-under on the day, sit at 10-under, 566, a round that ranks No. 12 for the lowest 36-hole score in team history, coming from the par-72, 7,223-yard Princeville Makai Course.
Twenty-first ranked Mississippi leads the event entering Tuesday's final round at 23-under, 553, while the Kats find themselves six strokes up on No. 22 Arizona State, who climbed six spots, at 4-under, 572.
Sam Houston's Andrew Ertel (73-64 – 137) climbed 25 spots up the leaderboard with the best score among the 111-player leaderboard, firing an 8-under, 64. The round was a career best for the senior, ranks tied for third in team lore and is the lowest score for a Bearkat in just over three years.
Ertel moved up to a tie for fourth with teammate Dominick Gennuso (68-69 – 137), who shot three-under on the day for a two-day 7-under total. The Bearkats are the only squad with two players in the top five despite a field that includes four top-50 teams.
The duo are just three strokes back of Missouri's Hayden Buckley (66-68 – 134) who captured the lead in the second round and is 10-under. East Tennessee State's Mateusz Gradecki (65-70 – 135) is in second at 9-under, while the Rebels' Braden Thornberry (71-65 – 136), the No. 21 golfer in the country, is just one stroke up on the pair of Bearkats at 8-under.
Sam Houston's William Holcomb (73-72 – 145) cut one stroke off his opening round to sit in a five-way tie for 32nd at 1-over. Jesse Massengale is just two strokes back, following Monday's 73 with a 2-over, 74, for a 36-hole total of 3-over, 147 and a six-way tie for 46th.
Jake McCrory (80-82 – 162) is currently in 106th at 18-over, 162. As a team, the Bearkats have carded three eagles, two coming from Ertel who did so on his opening fifth hole and 18th hole Monday. Meanwhile, no one has been better than Gennuso on the course's par-4s at 6-under.
The final round of the three-day event tees off with an 8 a.m. (1 p.m. CT) shotgun start on Tuesday. Gennuso and Ertel will each get underway on the first tee while Massenagle and Holcomb start on the second hole. McCrory will begin on the third.
QUOTEABLES
Head coach Brandt Kieschnick on the strong second round …
“It was great. We kind of found the path around the course and we stuck to it. It's all five guys doing the same thing. We're playing really smart. We're just playing like we've done in the past when we've been successful. I was really proud of them. This season, we've had a different lineup each week, so it's good to see we have such a deep team. Our program is going in the right direction. The players are developing.”
Head coach Brandt Kieschnick on Ertel's dominance on day two…
“He got off to a really good start. He eagled his first hole. He found his putter and didn't make any mistakes. He made another eagle late in the round. He really picked apart this golf course. He made his pars on the tough one. It's one of the best in school history.”
Head coach Brandt Kieschnick on the mindset entering Tuesday's final round…
“We talked about it this morning, once we get a round under our belt, we know the course better. I thought we could shoot under par. We know where to be on this golf course. We'll play good it's just a matter of how many puts we make. We just know this golf course.”
