Kansas in 10th after round two

AWENDAW, S.C. – Despite 15 total holes played under par, including three eagles, Kansas men’s golf sits in 10th place going into the final round of the Hootie at Bulls Bay, with freshman Andy Spencer the only Jayhawk under par for the day.

With a bogey on the first hole it seemed that Spencer would struggle through the round, especially after finishing the first day at three-over-par. Responding to his early mishap, Spencer was able to record three birdies on the front nine to enter the turn at two-under-par. Starting the back nine with another bogey, Spencer responded with a birdie accompanied by an eagle, entering the clubhouse with a three-under-par, 69. Spencer will begin his final round tied for 22^nd, at even par.

“Andy was solid all day,” head coach Jamie Bermel said. “He made a shot from about 105 yards on his 15^th hole that got him to three-under-par and he was able to par the last three holes.”

Senior Chase Hanna leads the team at two-under for the tournament and now sits tied for 11^th.  After a first round 69, Hanna played with consistency, recording par on every hole of his front nine. A double bogey on his 10^th proved to be the biggest blemish on the card as Hanna followed with alternating birdies and bogeys from holes four to eight, finishing the day at one-over-par.

With one of the team’s three eagles, junior Daniel Hudson was able to make improvements from his first round 74, finishing the second day with a one-over-par, 73. Recording two birdies and a bogey to make the turn at one-under par, Hudson was in position to finish with a solid round. Unfortunately, three bogeys in a row to open the back nine resulted in a tie for 48^th after the second day for Hudson.

Junior Daniel Sutton experienced some of the same struggles, also opening the back nine with three bogeys in a row after playing the front nine even. Responding with an eagle it seemed that Sutton still had a chance for a round under par. Unfortunately two additional bogeys resulted in a three-over-par, 75, putting Sutton in a tie for 35^th.

Opening the day three-over-par through six holes, sophomore Charlie Hillier continued to face problems. With an additional bogey and double bogey on the back, Hillier was able to find his first birdies on his 15^th and 16^th holes. Hillier is tied for 69^th after a second round, 76.

“The pins on our first nine were fairly difficult and we got on the wrong side of the hole,” Bermel said. “(Tuesday) we need to get off to a good start and finish the round off. We need a good fourth score.”

Defending champion South Carolina and No. 25 Mississippi lead the field 13 strokes ahead of the Jayhawks at 11-under-par. Kansas is only one stroke behind No. 23 Auburn and only two strokes behind   No. 15 Virginia.

Kansas will begin its final round with a 7:50 am CT tee time on Tuesday.

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