March 31, 2007
EVANS, Ga. - The 21st-ranked Auburn men's golf team fired a 3-under on the final seven holes to move from a tie for 15th into a tie for 12th with a 298-291--589 after the Administaff Augusta State Invitational second round at the par-72, 7301-yard Champions Retreat Golf Club Saturday.
Seventeenth-ranked North Carolina (279-281--560) holds a sizeable nine-shot lead over No. 11 Coastal Carolina (282-287--569). Georgia State is in third at 290-281--571 followed by South Carolina (289-287--576), No. 15 Tennessee (283-294--577), North Florida (291-293--584), North Carolina State (295-290--585), South Carolina-Aiken (293-293--586), Virginia Tech (295-291--586) and No. 13 East Tennessee State (293-293--586). Host Augusta State is in 11th ahead of No. 21 Auburn (298-291--589), No. 10 Clemson (295-294--589), Houston (300-289--589), Georgia Southern (303-288--591), Minnesota (296-296--592), Virginia (298-296--594) and Notre Dame (294-300--594).
The Tigers got off to a solid start and were 2-under through four holes before dropping back down the leaderboard with five bogeys on the next seven. Jay Moseley's eagle on the par-5 fifth and two straight birdies by Patton Kizzire on the fifth and sixth helped Auburn move up to 12th.
Gordon Strother shot a 1-over 73 for a team-best 147 total and is tied for 39th. Jamie Bowen fell from a tie for sixth to a tie for 50th with an 8-over 80 for a 149 total. Glenn Northcutt is also tied for 50th with a 77-72--149 followed by Kizzire in a tie for 60th with a 78-72--150 and Moseley in a tie for 74th with a 78-74--152.
"We had a good start and a good finish," head coach Mike Griffin said. "We just need to play better in the middle. The guys have to come back tomorrow and take care of business."
Coastal Carolina's Dustin Johnson is in first with a pair of 68s for an 8-under 136. North Carolina's Reed Darsie is just one shot back with a 68-69--137.
Auburn tees off in the final round of the Administaff ASU Invitational Sunday at 7:00 am Central with Augusta State and East Tennessee State. Live scoring can be followed at www.golfstat.com.