Sept. 17, 2012
TOLEDO, Ohio - The Penn State men's golf team completed the first two rounds of play today in Toledo, Ohio at the Inverness Intercollegiate. Day one of the tournament resulted in a 20-over-par team total of 588 as the Nittany Lions now sit tied for seventh with fellow Big Ten member Michigan.
Penn State's place in the team rankings remained constant throughout the day despite an overall team score improvement after the first round, lowering their mark from a 296 to a 292. Out in front for the Nittany Lions are sophomore Jens Talbert (Little Rock, Ark.) and senior Jay Woodward (Bridgeport, W. Va.), who had strikingly similar starts as they are both currently tied for 19th in the individual rankings.
Talbert finished the day with seven birdies in his 4-over-par 146, scoring 73 in both rounds. Woodward made six birdies over the course of the two rounds, tallying a low 72 and 74, respectively. Senior Anthony DeGol (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) ranks a comfortable 33rd with one round left to play. His 7-over-par mark of 149 included five birdies. DeGol managed to make adjustments and improve his score from a 76 to a 73 in round two.
Freshman Geoff Vartelas (Cromwell, Conn.) made his second start for Penn State finishing tied for 37th on the leaderboard, tallying a an 8-over-par 150. Rounding out the team contributions right behind Vartelas was sophomore Xander McDonald-Smith (Rockaway Park, N.Y.), who sits tied at 42nd with his 9-over-par total of 151.
Freshman JD Dornes (Lancaster, Pa.) made his debut as a member of the Penn State men's golf team, competing as an individual. Dornes' play matched that of McDonald-Smith's as he, too, finished with a 151 and placed tied for 42nd.
North Texas tops the leaderboard after the first two rounds of golf, earning a team total par score of 568 (284-284).
The Nittany Lions will return to the Inverness Club for the final 18 holes tomorrow morning, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.