Sept. 30, 2012
FT. MEYERS, FLA. - The Penn State men's golf team completed the first two rounds of the Cobra-PUMA Invitational in Ft. Meyers, Fla. today at the Miromar Lakes course. The team currently sits in second place with a 6-under-par total 570, twelve strokes behind leader Florida Gulf Coast University.
A light rain throughout round two didn't cause the Nittany Lions to falter much, as they posted a 284 and 286, respectively. Coach Greg Nye was very pleased with his team's performance. "We had difficult travel to get down here, plus 90 degree heat to adjust to on a 36-hole round. Our guys came out, just toughed it out all day, and hung up a great day of scoring." Three members of the squad had an above average day in Ft. Meyers, placing in the top 20 individual rankings. The three team leaders include sophomore Jens Talbert (Little Rock, Ark.), senior Anthony DeGol (Hollidaysburg, Pa.), and freshman Geoff Vartelas (Cromwell, Conn.).
Talbert sits tied for 9th right now with an impressive 3-under-par total 141 (70-71). Trailing right behind Talbert is teammate Degol, who tallied a 142 and is tied for 12th in the standings with five other competitors. Vartelas is quickly making a name for himself in the Penn State men's golf program during his first collegiate season, as his score of 1-under-par 143 finished tied for 17th on the day.
Freshman JD Dornes (Lancaster, Pa.) isn't far behind the pack of Nittany Lions in the top 20. He scored a 145 (71-74) over the two rounds. Dornes is currently 1-over-par and is tied for 22nd place. Next in line for Penn State is senior Jay Woodward (Bridgeport, W. Va.), who is tied for 31st and holds a 147 total after day one.
Florida Gulf Coast leads all competition with their remarkable 18-under-par total 558. However, it is Marshall's Nathan Kerns who tops the individual leaderboard after two rounds, leading by one stroke with a 9-under-par 135.
The Cobra-PUMA Invitational will resume tomorrow morning for the final round with a shotgun start at 8:45 a.m.