LITTLE ROCK – The Trojans led after round one and currently sit one shot out of first after the opening two rounds of the Little Rock Invitational at Chenal Country Club. The Trojans are sitting at 2-over 578, tied with Oral Roberts and one shot back of first place Eastern Michigan.
2019 Little Rock Invitational Day One Results (PDF)
Despite the heavy rains that inundated the Natural State in the overnight hours, Little Rock's annual host event teed off without delays at 8:15 a.m., albeit on a soggy course. The Trojans came out strong in the morning round, shooting a 4-under 284 to lead the 15-team field by four shots after the opening 18 holes.
Little Rock's opening round was paced by a 4-under 68 from
Logan Pate, setting his new low round of the season. Pate was three shots better than sophomores
Marcel Rauch and
Devon Whitaker, who both posted a 1-under 71, setting season lows in the process and a new personal-best for Whitaker in his first tournament of the season.
Junior
Aaron Ramos and sophomore
Anton Albers each posted a 2-over 74 to close out the Trojans' opening round.
In the afternoon round, winds picked up as Little Rock's scoring also elevated, adding 10 shots to its opening round total to post a 6-over 294. Rauch and Albers were the low scorers for the Trojans over the second round, each posting a 1-over 73, and finishing one shot better than Pate and Ramos with a 2-over 74. Whitaker added a 7-over 79 for the Trojans.
In the individual standings, Pate is tied for seventh with Rauch also in position to earn his first career top-20 finish, tied for 15th among the 87-player field. Albers is just outside the top-20, tied for 25th.
Three Trojans also competed as individuals as
Carter Patterson posted a 10-over 154, just ahead of
Danial Durisic's 11-over 155 and
Alejandro De Zavala's 16-over 160 in his first collegiate tournament.
As the Trojans slipped over the final nine holes, Eastern Michigan and Oral Roberts made strong pushes as the Eagles overtook the Trojans for the top spot with a 2-under 286 in round two, paced by a 7-under 65 from Cougar Collins. The Golden Eagles used a 1-over 289, matching their first round total, to draw even with the Trojans.
It should be an exciting finish to the annual event at Chenal as seven teams are separated by just four shots in the race for the team title. Campbell and Middle Tennessee are both tied for fourth at 3-over 579, one shot back of Little Rock, with Illinois State (4-over 580) two back and Texas State (5-over 581) three shots behind the Trojans.
Tuesday's final round will once again begin with an 8:15 a.m. shotgun start with the Trojans playing with Eastern Michigan and Oral Roberts over the final 18 holes. Live scoring is available at GolfStat.com and admission is free to the public for fans wanting to come cheer on the Trojans.
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