Nov. 5, 2007
Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. - Three Nittany Lion golfers posted second-round scores of two-under-par 70, propelling nationally-ranked Penn State to second place at the Wolverine at Mission Inn after posting the lowest second-round score.
Penn State's Robert Rohanna (Waynesburg, Pa.), Harvin Groft (State College, Pa.) and T.J. Howe (Osceola, Pa.) each shot 70 in the second round, leading the Nittany Lions to a second-round score of 284.
Rohanna, a 2007 first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection, is tied for third place at one-under par after shooting rounds of 73 and 70. The senior, who won three tournaments last year, sits one shot behind the leaders and will look for his first win of the 2007-08 season on Tuesday. Through two rounds, Rohanna has sunk eight birdies and is tied for second in par-3 scoring (-2, 2.75 average).
Groft and Howe each shot identical rounds of 78 and 70 for a two-round total of 148, placing them in a seven-way tie for 11th place at four-over par. Groft, a senior, leads all Nittany Lion golfers with 24 pars. Howe, playing in just his fifth tournament as a redshirt freshman, sits among the leaders in total birdies with seven.
Penn State, ranked No. 11 by Golfstat and No. 20 in both the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and Golf World/Nike Golf Division 1 Coaches' Poll, shot rounds of 304 and 284. The Nittany Lions jumped from fifth to second in the standings after cutting their first-round score by 20 shots.
Host Michigan shot rounds of 294 and 289 for a 36-hole total of 588 (+7), giving the Wolverines a five-shot lead over Penn State (+12). Colorado is tied for Penn State at +12 while Illinois sits in fourth place at +13. Two Big Ten golfers - Michigan's Tim Schaetzel and Iowa's Cole Peever - are tied for the individual lead at two-under par (142).
Ten teams are competing in the 54-hole tournament in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. The event is being held at the 6,923-yard, par-72 El Campeon golf course, part of the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort.
Penn State sophomore Kevin Foley (Somerville, N.J.) is tied for 18th place at five-over par after posting rounds of 75 and 74. Following two consecutive tournament titles, Foley will look for his fourth-straight top-15 finish.
Fellow sophomore Jim Markovitz (Bridgeville, Pa.) shot rounds of 81 and 76, putting him in a tie for 50th place at +13.
The Nittany Lions will look to conclude 2007 with their third win of the fall season. The third and final round will begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
Team R1 R2 Total To Par1) Michigan 294 289 583 +7T2) Penn State 304 284 588 +12T2) Colorado 303 285 588 +124) Illinois 302 287 589 +135) Iowa State 301 295 596 +206) Iowa 314 288 602 +267) Northern Illinois 305 301 606 +30T8) Missouri 311 296 607 +31T8) Xavier 307 300 607 +3110) Miami (Ohio) 306 302 608 +32
Penn State Players R1 R2 Total To ParT3) Robert Rohanna 73 70 143 -1T11) Harvin Groft 78 70 148 +4T11) T.J. Howe 78 70 148 +4T18) Kevin Foley 75 74 149 +5T50) Jim Markovitz 81 76 157 +13