April 18, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN. - After the first two rounds of the 2009 Boilermaker Invitational the Nittany Lions sit alone, atop the leaderboard in first place. Competing against top ranked schools in the country including No. 9 Indiana and No. 14 Illinois, Penn State proved that with consistent and extraordinary golf that they can swing with the best.
Junior Kevin Foley (Sommerville, N.J.) jumped three strokes and four places from the first round to the second round to stand in first place after carding rounds of 69 and 66 (135). Foley's three-under par and six-under par scores leave him with a four-stroke cushion heading into the final round. Foley also leads the tournament in birdies, raking up a total of 12 on the day.
"Kevin's play has separated us from a good portion of the field. He is an All American and was on point throughout today's first two rounds," said head coach Greg Nye.
Penn State passed Eastern Michigan University and the University of Illinois in the second round today finishing in first place at six-under par (569). The Nittany Lions posted rounds of 288 (E) and 281 (-6). Penn State heads into the final round of the tournament tomorrow with a two-stroke cushion behind the University of Illinois. Penn State leads the tournament in birdies with 34.
Junior Jim Markovitz (Bridgebille, Pa.) finished tied for eighth after carding two rounds of 73 and 70 (143). Markovitz sits tied with Jorge Campillo of Indiana, currently ranked No. 2 in the nation. Junior T.J. Howe (Osceola, Pa.) and senior Chad Bricker (Waynesboro, Pa.) finished the 36 holes tied for 30th with second rounds of 75, three-over par. Freshmen Nick Archambault (Q.C., Canada) jumped 34 places from the end of round one to the end of round two, finishing tied for 19th. His two- day total of 146 came from a first round of 76 and a second round of 70.
The third and final round will be played tomorrow morning starting at 8:45 a.m.