March 16, 2009
Pinehurst, N.C. - After a great performance by the Nittany Lions, the Penn State men's golf team sits tied for second after the second round at the fifth annual Pinehurst Intercollegiate golf tournament.
The weather in North Carolina was wet and cold for a second day, but the Lions continued to play tough throughout the tournament. The Lions went plus five on the day and plus seven in the two-day total, tying Virginia Tech at 583. No. 34 Michigan State sits atop the leader board at plus four (580).
"I think the guys played pretty well today," said head coach Greg Nye. "We had a chance to lead the tournament after today, but we will see how tomorrow goes and if we can carry some good things over."
Junior T.J. Howe (Osceola, Pa.) improved his score by four strokes today, finishing with a 69 three-under par. His second round score, 69, tied his best score in his Lion career. On the 12th hole, a par four, Howe shot for an eagle after he hit a pitching wedge into the whole. Junior Jim Markovitz (Bridgeville, Pa.) had a great second round today shooting par at 72. Markovitz currently stands tied for 75th (155).
"T.J. did a great job today. On his third hole he shot for an eagle and he hit a pitching wedge in the hole. It was a really exciting day for him," said Nye. "We also got a good round out of Jim today witch we needed."
New Jersey native Kevin Foley (Sommerville, N.J.) scored his second straight 73, one-over par to withhold the 18th position. Tommy McDonagh (Wilton, Conn.) fought through a tough start today and finished with five-over par, 79, leaving him tied for 27th heading into the final round. Freshman Nick Archambault (Quebec, Canada) also scored a 79 on the day in which he birdied the third hole. Archambault is tied for 71st after two rounds and totals at 154, ten-over par.
The third and final round will pickup tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in which the championship ceremony will follow at the conclusion of play.