DAY ONE RESULTS (GolfStat)
MATHEWS – The University of New Orleans Golf team finished the opening two rounds of the LaTOUR Intercollegiate in third place after rounds of 288 and 279 on Monday afternoon.
Following a rough start where the Privateers sat in dead last at 9-over-par after the opening five holes, New Orleans caught fire finishing the first round at even par, and then shooting a 9-under par 279 during round two. Nine of the Privateers' 14 rounds this season have been below par – the most since the 2007-2008 team finished with 11.
Individually the Privateers have tallied 30 rounds under par this season – Kyle Bennett leads the way with nine, while Maximilian Wojciechowski is right behind him with seven. Six of the seven Privateers who have competed this season have shot rounds below 70 - Bennett has two, Canon Clark has two, Fulton has two, Roberts has two, Wojciechowski has two, and Artigas has one.
UNO's second round score was their second round under 280 this season, joining the 276 they shot during the final round of the par-71 Derek Dolenc Invitational three weeks ago. It was just the 11th time in school history with a round below 280, and the first time since the 2006 Xavier Invitational, and the 2007 ASU Indian Classic that the Privateers have had two rounds below 280 during the same season.
Bennett used back-to-back rounds below par to lead UNO on Monday. The junior currently sits tied for fourth place at 3-under-par. Kyle made 10 birdies on Monday afternoon and finished both rounds strong with six of those birdies coming on the back nine during the opening 36 holes.
Mason Roberts and George Trappey are both tied for 13th after each shot a 143 on Monday. Roberts got off to a remarkable start during round two making three birdies on his opening three holes, and five birdies on his opening eight. The Lubbock native also closed the day strong with birdies on three of his last four holes. Roberts' second round score of 68 matches his career-best as a Privateer set earlier this season. Trappey made eight birdies over his two rounds, and added his third round under par this season with his second round score of 70.
Four of the five UNO golfers on the course today improved their scores between rounds one and two – Ryan Fulton moved up 16 spots after improving his score eight strokes, and Roberts moved up 25 spots after improving seven strokes between rounds one and two. Trappey also improved three strokes, and Bennett was one stroke better in the second round as well.
Eagles from Fulton and Thomas Artigas were the 10th and 11th this season for the Privateers. The pair join Bennett, Roberts, and Wojciechowski who each have three so far this year. New Orleans also sank 40 combined birdies tied with HCU for the most in the field on Monday.
The final round gets underway tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. with a shotgun start. The Privateers will be paired with HCU and Southeastern. Live scoring will again be available on GolfStat.
DAY ONE RESULTS
3 New Orleans, U. of 288, 279 | 567
T4 Kyle Bennett (2) 71, 70 | 141
T13 Mason Roberts (1) 75, 68 | 143
T13 George Trappey (5) 73, 70 | 143
T28 Thomas Artigas (4) 69, 76 | 145
39 Ryan Fulton (3) 79, 71 | 150
HEAD COACH JEFF LORIO
"I'm proud of the grit that we showed this afternoon. The guys bounced back with a really quality round. It takes a lot to fight through that adversity and I'm happy to see that type of performance this afternoon.
"Having said that I was really disappointed with the start this morning. We were 9-over-par after five holes. That is not acceptable and we need to find a way to have more focus at the start of the day."
"We have a great opportunity to play in the lead group tomorrow and put up another quality round. I'm looking forward to see how we handle that situation tomorrow and hopefully bring home a tournament title."
SOCIAL MEDIA
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