April 18, 2009
Round 2 Photo Gallery
Official ACC Golf Championship site
Live scoring and tee times
ACC Select live video coverage (2-5 p.m. Sunday)
New London, N.C. – Cameron Tringale fired a 3-under-par 69, and Chesson Hadley posted a 2-under-par 70 Saturday, and Georgia Tech opened a five-stroke lead over Clemson heading into the final round of the 56th Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Golf Championship.
Tech (11-under-par 565 for 36 holes) shot a 4-under-par 284 as a team in ideal weather conditions, getting three subpar rounds, including a second-straight 1-under 71 from freshman James White. John-Tyler Griffin and David Dragoo each shot 74 Saturday for the Jackets, who enter Sunday’s final round looking to win their third ACC title in four years and 11th in the history of the program.
Fifth-ranked Clemson matched Tech’s 284 Saturday and holds second place at 6-under-par 570. Wake Forest, which began the day in 10th place, scorched the 7,100-yard Old North State course with an 11-under-par score of 277 and is tied with NC State (290 Saturday) at 4-under-par 572. Duke shot 284 Saturday and holds fifth place at 2-under 576, and Virginia Tech (287 Saturday) is even par 576 after 36 holes.
“We’ve got some shots on the field, and we’ve got to be happy with that,” said head coach Bruce Heppler. “But there’s another 18 holes tomorrow, and some really good teams behind us. We’ll have to play every hole all the way through the last one. This hole (the par-5 18th) makes a big difference here. It can change a good round into a great round, or vice versa, so we’re excited about tomorrow.
“Everybody knows what it’s about here. I don’t need to talk to them much about it. There’s guys who have had success here. It’s a big deal. They know what’s at stake.”
Tringale, who shot 29 in the back nine for a 67 Friday, played steady golf Saturday, posting three birdies and no bogeys on his round. It was the Tech senior’s eighth subpar round in 11 at the Old North State Club, where his career scoring average is 69.36.
Tringale, who won the ACC title as a freshman in 2006, is bidding to become the second Tech player to win twice, joining David Duval in 1991 and 1993. He is tied for first place with NC State’s Matt Hill at 8-under-par 136, two shots ahead of Wake Forest’s Lee Bedford and Virginia Tech’s Drew Weaver (6-under 138). Duke’s Clark Klaasen (70) and Clemson’s David May (69) are tied for fifth place at 4-under 140.
Hadley, a junior from nearby Raleigh, N.C., parred his last eight holes Saturday in posting his second straight subpar round and is alone in seventh place at 3-under 141. White, a freshman from Acworth, Ga., and a big key for the Jackets this week, played the back nine in 2-under-par and is in a three-way tie for eighth place at 2-under 142.
“We’re doing great. We’ve been gearing up for this all year, getting ready for this tournament,” said Hadley, whose struggle to perform at his sophomore-year level has prevented him from playing in three of Tech’s eight events. “I’ve worked really hard to get back in the lineup, and I’m hitting the ball well again. Everybody is playing well, and this course set up well for us because of how good our short games are.”
With playing conditions nearly perfect for the first two rounds, six of the 11 teams are even par or better, while 19 golfers are even par or under for 36 holes. Tech will again play in the final groupings for Sunday’s round, teeing off at 11:10 a.m. Live scoring is provided online beginning at 8:30 a.m., and ACC Select will provide live online video coverage at the 17th and 18th holes from 2-5 p.m. (see links above).
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Old North State Club, New London, N.C.
Second-Round Results
TEAM STANDINGS1 Georgia Tech 281 284 565 -112 Clemson 286 284 570 -6T3 Wake Forest Univ. 295 277 572 -4T3 North Carolina State 282 290 572 -45 Duke University 290 284 574 -26 Virginia Tech 289 287 576 ET7 North Carolina 290 289 579 +3T7 Maryland, U. of 289 290 579 +3T7 Virginia 291 288 579 +310 Florida State 287 297 584 +811 Boston College 311 298 609 +33
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS T1 Cameron Tringale Georgia Tech 67 69 136 -8 T1 Matt Hill North Carolina State 68 68 136 -8 T3 Lee Bedford Wake Forest Univ. 71 67 138 -6 T3 Drew Weaver Virginia Tech 67 71 138 -6 T5 Clark Klaasen Duke University 70 70 140 -4 T5 David May Clemson 71 69 140 -4 7 Chesson Hadley Georgia Tech 71 70 141 -3 T8 Chase MacFarland North Carolina 72 70 142 -2 T8 Brendan Tracy Maryland, U. of 69 73 142 -2 T8 James White Georgia Tech 71 71 142 -2 T8 Kyle Stanley Clemson 69 73 142 -2 12 Adam Long Duke University 73 70 143 -1
GEORGIA TECH SCORES T1 Cameron Tringale (1) 67 69 136 7 Chesson Hadley (3) 71 70 141 T8 James White (5) 71 71 142 T22 John Tyler Griffin (2) 72 74 146 T38 David Dragoo (4) 74 74 148
