The Penn State men's golf team jumped nine spots to a tie for fourth place, and sophomore Kevin Foley (Somerville, N.J.) posted the lowest second-round score of the 101-player field on Day 2 of the fourth annual Pinehurst Intercollegiate Monday.
Foley, last year's Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a second team All-Big Ten selection, was one of only five players to shoot under par in the second round, firing a 3-under par 69. Ranked No. 40 in the nation by Golfstat, Foley bested his first round score of 79 by 10 shots and is currently tied for seventh place at 4-over par, four shots behind the leader.
After shooting 312 (+24) in the first round, Penn State recorded the second-lowest team score of Day 2, firing a 294 (+6). The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 17 by Golfstat, sit 28 shots behind first-place Indiana but only four shots separate the Lions from second place.
Senior Harvin Groft (State College, Pa.) posted another solid round, putting him in contention for a top-10 finish. Through two rounds, Groft has shot rounds of 74 and 75 and is tied for 11th place at 5-over par.
Sophomore T.J. Howe (Osceola, Pa.), senior Robert Rohanna (Waynesburg, Pa.) and junior Mitch Van Zelfden (Marietta, Ga.) all bested their first-round scores, putting the Lions in contention for a top-5 finish. Howe is tied for 41st place at +10 (154), while Rohanna sits in a tie for 48th place at +11 (155). Van Zelfden is tied for 67th at +14 (158).
Nineteen teams are competing at the tournament, co-hosted by Indiana and East Carolina at the 7,035-yard, par-72 Centennial Pinehurst No. 8 golf course in Pinehurst, N.C.
Indiana's Seth Brandon continues to lead the field after shooting rounds of 69 and 75. Brandon (E) sits one shot ahead of teammates Jorge Campillo (+1) and Ren Han (+1) in the individual standings.
Foley and the Nittany Lions will look to finish strong in the final round of the 54-hole tournament on Tuesday. Tee-off is scheduled for 9 a.m.
Team R1 R2 Total To Par1) Indiana 286 292 578 +22) Eastern Kentucky 304 298 602 +263) VCU 303 300 603 +27T4) Penn State 312 294 606 +30T4) Western Carolina 307 299 606 +306) Ball State 303 304 607 +317) San Francisco 308 301 609 +338) UNC-Greensboro 305 305 610 +349) Wisconsin 308 304 612 +3610) East Carolina 311 303 614 +3811) St. Mary's (Ca.) 309 307 616 +4012) UNC-Wilmington 306 311 617 +41T13) Marquette 314 304 618 +42T13) Toledo 311 307 618 +4215) Miami (Ohio) 316 305 621 +4516) Hartford 316 306 622 +4617) Western Illinois 322 308 630 +5418) Marshall 315 320 635 +5919) IUPUI 333 317 650 +74
Penn State Players R1 R2 Total To ParT7) Kevin Foley 79 69 148 +4T11) Harvin Groft 74 75 149 +5T41) T.J. Howe 79 75 154 +10T48) Robert Rohanna 80 75 155 +11T67) Mitch Van Zelfden 80 78 158 +14