Tyler Strafaci and Noah Norton each fired 3-under-par 67 Saturday, while No. 6 Georgia Tech posted a 6-under-par round of 274 and sit alone in third place, two shots off the lead, after 36 holes at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Ariz.
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TECH LINEUP – Strafaci had a double bogey and a bogey on his card but countered with six birdies as the junior from Davie, Fla., completed 36 holes at 8-under-par 132, tied for fourth place. Norton has an eagle and two birdies with just one bogey in posting his 67, and is tied for eighth place individually at 6-under-par 134.
Juniors Luke Schniederjans (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Andy Ogletree (Little Rock, Miss.) each got around the Mirabel Golf Club in even-par 70. Schniederjans is tied for 12th place at 5-under-par 135, while Ogletree is tied for 27th place at 2-under 138.
Senior James Clark (Columbus, Ga.) shot a 71 (+1) for the second straight day and did not count, while freshman Connor Howe (Ogden, Utah), making his collegiate debut this weekend playing as an individual, shot 75. Both players are tied for 51st place individually.
TEAM LEADERBOARD – The top three teams from the opening round remained within two strokes of each other heading to the final round Sunday. Arizona State, tied for second with the Yellow Jackets after the opening round, shot 8-under-par 272 Saturday to grab a share of the team lead with first-round leader LSU, who shot 6-under-par 274. Both teams have a 36-hole total of 537 (-23), two strokes ahead of Tech (539, -21).
Those three teams will be paired together for the third straight day in Sunday’s final round, which begins at 7 a.m. local time.
NC State (546, -14), Auburn (547, -13), Kent State and Clemson (both at 549, -11) are bunched within three strokes of each other. The Tigers posted the day’s best round of 13-under-par 267, while the Golden Flashes shot 11-under-par 269.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD – Chun An Yu, with his 6-under-par 64 Saturday, not only carried his team to a share of the lead but took the individual lead for himself at 11-under-par 129, one shot ahead of Clemson’s Bryson Nimmer (10-under 130), who had the best individual round Saturday with a 63 as low scores continue to rule the weekend.
Oregon State’s Shawn Lu holds third place alone at 9-under-par 131, while first-round leader Luis Gagne and Tech’s Strafaci are tied for fourth place at 132 (-8). NC State’s Benjamin Shipp and Arizona State’s Cameron Sisk are tied for sixth place at 133 (-7).
COACH BRUCE HEPPLER SAID – “We had kind of an up and down day, played well in stretches and then backed up in some spots, but I’m really pleased with the way we finished the round. We got ourselves back in the tournament with several birdies from 15 to 18. We’re looking forward to a big challenge tomorrow against several very talented teams.”
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Maui Jim Intercollegiate is being played Friday through Sunday at Mirabel Golf Club, a 7,081-yard, par 70 layout on Scottsdale, Ariz., for the second time in the three-year history of the event. Last year’s event, hosted by Georgia State’s golf program, was played at Desert Forest Golf Club in Carefree, Ariz., while Mirabel was being renovated. Tech finished second in last year’s tournament, by one stroke to Arizona State, with three Yellow Jackets finishing among the top 20 individuals, led by Tyler Strafaci (T4).
The 14-team field includes host Georgia State, Arizona State, Auburn, Augusta, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Houston, Kansas State, Kent State, LSU, Minnesota, NC State, Oregon and Oregon State.
The Yellow Jackets are paired with preseason ninth-ranked LSU and No. 19 Arizona State for the Friday and Saturday rounds, which begin at 7:30 a.m. local time. Sunday pairings are determined by 36-hole scores.
