Freshman leads Jayhawks to second place going into last day

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – At the end of a long 36-hole day for Kansas men’s golf, the Jayhawks find themselves tied for second place in the Desert Mountain Intercollegiate, led by freshman Andy Spencer, who is competing in only his fourth event as a Jayhawk.

“Playing36 holes is a grind, especially the first one of the semester,” head coach Jamie Bermel said. “I thought we hung in there fairly well.”

As the only Jayhawk to post back-to-back rounds under-par at The Outlaw Golf Course, Spencer is in position for the best finish of his career, as he is in seventh place going into the final day. Spencer was able to post a solid first round, 69, as he gathered five birdies, with only two blemishes on his scorecard. Able to keep his focus, Spencer managed to post a two-under-par, 70, in round two, highlighted by five birdies on the back nine.

“Andy was rock solid today,” Bermel said. “He looks comfortable out there and I think this golf course fits his eye.”

Junior Daniel Hudson has also seemed to find his groove as of late, sitting tied for 11^th at the end of two rounds. With six total birdies in round one, including five on the back nine, Hudson entered the clubhouse at one under-par. The momentum continued as Hudson started the second round with back-to-back birdies. Hudson then faced problems, posting five bogeys on the front nine alone, but was able to battle back and find himself at even par to complete the second round.

After running into problems with a first round, 75, junior Daniel Sutton was able to respond with the lowest score on the squad, posting a three-under-par, 69, in round two. Sutton collected a total of four birdies in his flawless second round and now sits tied for 20^th at even par.

Senior Chase Hanna finds himself tied for 30^th at three-over-par at the conclusion of two rounds. Matching his five bogeys with five birdies, Hanna played the first round at even-par. Unfortunately, a double-bogey on the par four seventh, accompanied by a couple of early bogeys, ended in a three-over-par finish to round two.

Despite playing his first round at one-under-par, sophomore Charlie Hillier ran into challenges in round two, recording six bogeys with only one birdie. Hillier now sits tied for 35^th at four-over-par.

Kansas is in the hunt for the title going into the final round, sitting just six strokes behind the leader and host Michigan, which ended the day at 14-under-par. The Jayhawks are tied with Northwestern in second and lead the next closest teams, Purdue and St. Mary’s, by four strokes.

“We need to have a big day on Sunday and see if we can catch Michigan,” Bermel said.

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