Two Jayhawks in top-10, Kansas in fourth entering final day

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Resuming play after difficult conditions on day one at the Big 12 Championship, Kansas men’s golf is in fourth place after the 36-hole second day, led by scores from senior Chase Hanna and junior Daniel Sutton that have earned both golfers a top-10 spot on the individual leaderboard entering the final day.

“It was a tough day out there,” head coach Jamie Bermel said. “The second-round conditions were fairly scoreable. I didn’t think we played well, just kind of hung around and finished 8-over. The third round we were playing well and just didn’t quite get it finished. We were 1- or 2-over with a couple of holes to go and finished 10-over. But this course can do it to you. You can’t let up and have to keep full concentration.”

Hanna made his move on day two, finishing the 36-hole day in fifth at 7-over par as the only Jayhawk to finish both rounds at even par or better. Collecting a team-best four birdies, Hanna finished the second round at 1-under-par. He kept the ball rolling, recording three birdies and a bogey to play his front nine at 2-under par. Hanna displayed his strong short game with a sand save on hole six and entered the 17^th hole at even par for the back before a double bogey resulted in an even-par third round.

“My goal for (Tuesday) was to shoot, if not the best, close to the (best) after 36 holes,” Hanna said. “I didn’t have my best stuff (Monday) but kept myself in it. Today was a lot of ups and downs. Certainly a lot of good things and it looks like I have a chance tomorrow, which is great. It sounds like it is going to be pretty bad weather, which should help me make up some ground. You can’t ask for much more.”

Taking advantage of favorable conditions on a difficult Prairie Dunes Golf Course, Sutton posted a second round, 69. Sutton played with his characteristic consistency, collecting three birdies and two bogeys. Sutton kept his game going, playing his first 15 holes of the third round at 1-over par before a double bogey on his 16^th followed by a bogey on his 17^th. Entering the final day at 10-over par, Sutton is in a tie for 10^th place.

Entering the day on the top of the individual leaderboard, junior Daniel Hudson kept the momentum going at the beginning of round two, recording his first four holes at even par. Recording a quadruple bogey on the par-5 fifth, Hudson kept his composure, recording back-to-back birdies. An unfortunate triple bogey on the 17^th resulted in a 79 for Hudson in the second round. Opening the third round with back to back bogeys, Hudson kept battling to enter the clubhouse with a 75. Hudson is now tied for 27^th at 16-over par.  

Cruising through the first half of his front nine in round two, sophomore Charlie Hillier played his first five holes at even par before finding his first bogey of the day. Playing both his front and back nine at 2-over par, Hillier posted a second round, 74. Despite a handful of unfavorable lies recording his best round came in his third 18 holes. Hillier played his front nine at even par, accompanied by a 3-under-par back, to finish the round with a 75.  At 18-over par for the tournament, Hillier is in a tie for 32^th.

Freshman Andy Spencer responded to each of his rounds with a lower score, finishing the second and third rounds with a 76 and 73, respectively. Spencer is also in a tie for 32^th at 18-over par.

Kansas is in fourth place entering the final round, trailing No. 18 Texas and No. 2 Oklahoma State who are tied for first at 30-over par. The Jayhawks are only three strokes behind No. 13 Oklahoma, who sit in third at 41-over par. No. 4 Baylor and No. 11 Texas Tech trail Kansas by two and three strokes, respectively.

“I think even par is going to be a pretty good score tomorrow,” Bermel said. “It is going to be windy again with a little bit of rain tonight. If we mix in rain and wind, it is going to be difficult. We are going with the same mindset of just one shot at a time. Keep looking forward don’t worry about what Is behind you. Hopefully we can post a good number and see what happens.”

Kansas will begin its final round at 8:45 am CT.

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