May 17, 2002
Roswell, Ga. – Top-ranked Georgia Tech shot a 1-under-par 287 Friday, led by Matt Weibring’s 1-under-par 71, to move within one shot of Clemson after two rounds of the NCAA East Regional Golf Championship.
The tournament is being contested at Ansley Golf Club’s Settindown Creek, a 7,119-yard, par-72 layout in suburban Atlanta. Clemson has a two-round total of 577 (1-over-par), followed by Tech at 578. North Carolina made the biggest move of the day, posting a 2-under-par round of 286 to move into third place at 581.
“The course is hard. We played really well for a long time,” said Tech coach Bruce Heppler. “Obviously, an under-par round out here, I think that’s terrific. It was a little easier this morning than yesterday afternoon because the greens were a little slower. They were a little softer. We got a chance to play before the wind came up. It’s the kind of golf course that if you just stop thinking for a minute and the ball can wind up in some bad places. I’m really very, very happy with their attitudes and their composure and the way they are going about stuff.”
The Tigers shot 3-over-par 291 Friday to maintain the lead, while Tiger junior D.J. Trahan carded a 2-under-par 70 to remain in the individual lead at 5-under-par 139. Weibring’s 71 gave him a two-round total of 141, two shots back in second place among the clubhouse leaders.
Gregg Jones (73), Martin Catalioto (73) and Ben Duncan (75) all counted for Clemson on Friday. Chan Wongluekiet paced Tech with a 2-under-par 70, while Nick Thompson carded a 72 and Kris Mikkelsen posted a 74. Troy Matteson failed to count for the Yellow Jackets Friday after finishing with a 76.
“I’m just trying to put myself in a position to play well tomorrow,” said Tech’s Matt Weibring. “More importantly is the team title, that’s what college golf is all about. Hopefully, tomorrow we can will the team title. Obviously, winning a regional title would be awesome, but we’re trying to get ready for two weeks from now up there in Columbus. That’s our big goal. And it’s kind of eluded us for the last two years. We’ve gotten close. We lost in a playoff two years ago. We really want to get everybody in a position to peak that week. I think everyone is beginning to play real well. We keep improving, and in a couple of weeks, hopefully we’ll play our best.”
The Tar Heels were led by Bob Cherry, who posted the top score of the morning with a 69 and moved into third place among the clubhouse leaders at 2-under-par 142. Jeremy Elliott and Brad Moldin each shot 71 for North Carolina.
Florida was fourth in the team race at 590, followed by Virginia Commonwealth at 592. The Gators shot 2-over-par 290, jumping eight positions to fourth place, while the Rams matched North Carolina’s 286 for low round of the day and rose from 20th place to fifth heading into Saturday’s final round. Wake Forest is in sixth place at 595, while Georgia and Augusta State are tied for seventh at 596. Auburn and Georgia Southern are tied for ninth at 597.
Other teams in contention to advance after Saturday include North Florida (303) and Alabama-Birmingham (301), tied for 11th at 602, followed by the College of Charleston in 13th place at 603. Tennessee, which began the day in third place, shot 310 and fell to 14th at 604, tied with South Alabama.
Ryan Zylstra led Virginia Commonwealth by carding the low individual round of the day with a 5-under 67 and is in a tie for sixth at even-par 144. Playing conditions again were ideal Friday, and the course still yielded 16 subpar rounds, five more than Thursday.
2002 NCAA EAST REGIONAL GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPAnsley Golf Club's Settindown CreekSecond-Round Leaders, Friday, May 17
TEAM LEADERS Clemson 286-291 – 577 (+1) Georgia Tech 291-287 – 578 (+2) North Carolina 295-286 – 581 (+5) Florida 300-290 – 590 (+14) Virginia Commonwealth 306-286 – 592 (+16) Wake Forest 299-296 – 595 (+19) Georgia 300-296 – 596 (+20) Augusta State 299-297 – 596 (+20) Auburn 299-298 – 597 (+21) Georgia Southern 299-298 – 597 (+21) North Florida 299-303 – 602 (+26) Alabama-Birmingham 301-301 – 602 (+26) College of Charleston 303-300 – 603 (+27) Tennessee 294-310 – 604 (+28) South Alabama 313-291 – 604 (+28) South Carolina 301-307 – 608 (+32) Coastal Carolina 302-309 – 611 (+35) Penn State 295-316 – 611 (+35) Furman 299-313 – 612 (+36) William & Mary 305-308 – 613 (+37) Michigan State 308-305 – 613 (+37) Jacksonville State 303-310 – 613 (+37) Rhode Island 307-309 – 616 (+40) Virginia 312-304 – 616 (+40) Duke 308-309 – 617 (+41) Iona 315-319 – 634 (+58) Yale 314-325 – 639 (+63)
INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD
D.J. Trahan, Clemson 69-70 – 139 (-5) Matt Weibring, Georgia Tech 70-71 – 141 (-3) Tyler McKeever, Georgia Southern 70-71 – 141 (-3) Bob Cherry, North Carolina 73-69 – 142 (-2) Brandt Snedeker, Vanderbilt 70-72 – 142 (-2) Camilo Benedetti, Florida 75-69 — 144 (E) Gregg Jones, Clemson 71-73 – 144 (E) Brad Moldin, North Carolina 73-71 – 144 (E) Ryan Zylstra, Virginia Commonwealth 77-67 – 144 (E) Bill Haas, Wake Forest 74-71 – 145 (+1) Ryan Hybl, Georgia 74-71 – 145 (+1) Ramon Bescansa, North Carolina 71-75 – 146 (+2) Bryant Odom, Georgia 75-71 – 146 (+2) Brad Schwartz, North Florida 71-75 – 146 (+2) Camilo Villegas, Florida 75-71 – 146 (+2) Chan Wongluekiet, Georgia Tech 76-70 – 146 (+2) *12 olfers tied at 147 (+3)
GEORGIA TECH SCORES
Matt Weibring 70-71 – 141 Chan Wongluekiet 76-70 – 146 Kris Mikkelsen 73-74 – 147 Nick Thompson 75-72 – 147 Troy Matteson 73-76 – 149
