MEN'S GOLF REMAINS IN NINTH AFTER WIND-BLOWN SECOND ROUND
5/18/2012
Jake Johnson led Sacramento State with a second round 75 at the NCAA Norman Regional.
NORMAN, Okla. — Winds in excess of of 30 miles per hour wreaked havoc on the course and the leaderboard during the second round of the NCAA Norman Regional on Friday at the Jimmy Austin OU Golf Club.
Despite shooting 15 strokes higher in the second round than it did in the opening round, Sacramento State remained in ninth place. The Hornets recorded a team score of 307 on Friday and have a two-round total of 599. Sacramento State's score is the best among teams in the field that are not ranked among the top 50 in Div. I.
Washington made the biggest move of the day as the Huskies shot 7-under to take a four-stroke lead at 286-281-567. Florida State and Texas, which were tied for first after the first round, are second and third respectively. The Seminoles are four strokes behind UW while the Longhorns are five back.
Illinois and Georgia Tech occupy fourth and fifth. Georgia Tech was the only other team than Washington to shoot in the red on the day. The top five teams in each NCAA regional will advance to the NCAA Championships.
"With the wind, if you miss a shot you are really penalized," Sacramento State head men's coach Christopher Hall said. "If you are not hitting it great it's going to show."
For Sacramento State, Jake Johnson and Ryan Williams are each tied for 28th place with a 36-hole total of 148. Johnson led the team with a second round 75. He opened on the 10th hole with a pair of pars before birdies on the par-3 12th and par-4 13th dropped him to 2-under. However, double bogeys on the par-4 14th and 16th moved Johnson to 2-over at the midway point of his round. Two more bogeys on Nos. 1 and 4 took him to 4-over before he birdied the par-5 fifth hole. From that point, he played the final four holes even with a birdie and a bogey.
Williams, who led the team on Thursday, shot 77 during the second round. He played the first five holes at 1-over but then was 6-over over his next six holes. He stabilized his round with six pars and a bogey on No. 5. His score of 1-under on the final seven holes was the best on the team during the day.
Grant Rappleye matched Williams' 77 and is now tied for 40th place. Rappleye had the best start among Sacramento State golfers, making the turn at even par. He began his round with three pars before birdying No. 13. Two more pars were followed by a bogey on the par-4 16th and two additional pars. On the front side of the course, he bogeyed three of the first four holes and then double-bogeyed No. 5. Rappleye closed with two pars, a birdie on No. 8 and bogey on No. 9.
Cameron Rappleye is tied for 60th at 77-78-155. Rappleye had 13 pars and a birdie during his round but was hampered by a pair of bogeys, a double bogey and a triple bogey on the par-4 fourth.
Jordan Weir had the second most birdies on the team (three) during the round but also had three double-bogeys and a triple-bogey en route to his highest score of the year.
Thomas Pieters of Illinois took the individual lead after shooting 68-69-137. He is followed by Daniel Berger of Florida State (69-69-138) and Jonathan De Los Reye of Saint Mary's (71-68-139). Jordan Spieth of Texas, who is the nation's top ranked player and was the leader following the first round, shot 77 to drop into a tie for 10th place.
Sacramento State, which was seeded 12th in the 14-team field, will be paired with Saint Mary's and South Carolina for Saturday's round. The first group will go off the 10th hole at 7:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. PDT).
NCAA NORMAN REGIONAL
Jimmy Austin OU Golf Club
Par 72 • 7351 Yards
TEAM STANDINGS
1. #13 Washington 286-281-567
2. #23 Florida State 279-292-571
3. #1 Texas 279-293-572
4. #35 Illinois 284-291-575
5. #12 Georgia Tech 290-286-576
6. #30 Oklahoma 287-292-579
7. #36 Saint Mary's 286-302-588
8. #49 South Carolina 294-302-596 9. Sacramento State 292-307-599
10. Arizona 289-311-600
11. San Diego 303-299-602
12. IUPUI 297-307-604
13. #48 Middle Tennessee State 304-316-620
14. Loyola-Chicago 307-314-621
INDIVIDUAL TOP FIVE
1. Thomas Pieters, Illinois, 68-69-137
2. Daniel Berger, Florida State, 69-69-138
3. Jonathan De Los Reye, Saint Mary's, 71-68-139
4. Cheng-Tsung Pan, Washington, 69-71-140
T5. Ollie Schniederjans, Georgia Tech, 72-69-141
T5. Chris Williams, Washington, 73-68-141
