May 29, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 16 Auburn (304-610) is in 18th after the NCAA Championship second round at the par-72, 7,462-yard Kampen Course at Purdue's Birck Boilermaker Complex on Wednesday.
First team All-SEC senior Jay Moseley (76-152) and senior Gordon Strother (77-152) currently lead all Tigers in a tie for 54th, individually. Seniors Steven Groover (76-154) and Patton Kizzire (75-154) are tied for 70th and junior Glenn Northcutt (79-156) is tied for 96th.
"Today was the day to score," said Auburn head coach Mike Griffin. "These were perfect conditions. The golf course is tough, but we let it get away from us.
"We played the back nine without trouble and it is the side that gave us problems in the first round. We didn't play well on the front side today.
"We just need to do some soul-searching and come out Friday and play Auburn golf."
Auburn made the turn at 4-over in both rounds, only to lose a total of 26 strokes in the final nine holes of each day.
After teeing off No. 10 at 8:07 a.m. CST, Auburn made the turn with Moseley, Northcutt, Kizzire and Groover each counting at 1-over. The par-4, 484-yard No. 18 took four strokes from the Tigers in Wednesday's opening round but only claimed two on Thursday.
Moseley started the day with bogeys on Nos. 14 and 17 but responded with a birdie on 18, a hole that gave up just 16 second round birdies. After another bogey on No. 5, Moseley was prepared to head into the club house at 2-over but dropped two more strokes after a double-bogey on No. 9.
After birdies on Nos. 10 and 14 and a bogey on 12, Northcutt was set to make the turn at 1-under but a double-bogey on 17 set him back to 1-over. Bogies on Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 9 and a double-bogey on 7 gave Northcutt a 18-hole total of 79.
Kizzire only carded five pars on the day, all of which came on the front nine. With a total of six birdies and six bogies, Kizzire was on track to score an even-par round but a triple bogey on the par-3, 183-yard No. 13 put him at 3-over.
Strother finished the back nine at 2-over but gave up three consecutive bogeys on holes 5, 6 and 7 to finish the day at 5-over par.
Groover approached No. 9 at 2-over par but lost two strokes to a double-bogey, upping his second round total to 4-over par.
The par-4, 478-yard No. 9 cost the Tigers five strokes on the day, more than any hole so far in the tournament.
No. 14 Clemson (288-589) is currently in the lead, one stroke ahead of No. 4 UCLA (293-590). No. 3 Southern California (294-591) is in third followed by No. 7 Florida (291-593), No. 5 Oklahoma State (296-594), Washington (290-595), No. 1 Georgia (293-596), No. 6 Stanford (288-597), Kent State (297-598), No. 8 Charlotte (295-601), Middle Tennessee State (293-602), No. 18 Texas A&M (294-603), No. 19 Arizona State (293-604), Illinois (302-604) and No. 2 Alabama (297-606).
No. 23 Louisville (296-607) is in 16th, followed by UAB (297-608), Auburn, Penn State (300-613), No. 20 East Tenn. State (300-613), San Diego State (303-613), UC-Irvine (297-617), No. 17 Wake Forest (304-618), Virginia (307-619), Oregon (304-619), Texas (309-620), Mississippi State (297-623), No. 24 Indiana (310-623), Augusta State (308-634) and St. Mary's (309-642).
Florida's Billy Horschel (67-139) holds the individual lead after round two, one stroke ahead of Clemson's Kyle Stanley (68-140).
The third round of the NCAA Championships will begin with the top teams teeing off starting at 6 a.m. CST on Friday. Teams are competing for the top 15 spots in order to advance to the fourth and final round on Saturday after which the team and individual champions will be crowned.
Auburn will begin third round play 11 p.m. CST Friday off the No. 1 tee with Louisville and UAB.
The four-day, 72-hole tournament that features live-scoring via Golfstat (www.golfstat.com).