FLOURTOWN, Pa. – Strong crosswinds and gusts up to 35 miles per hour in the Philadelphia metro area wreaked havoc with the second day of play at the 2019 Big Ten Men's Golf Championships Saturday and Penn State struggled, falling five places to 13th. Senior Charles Huntzinger shares 24th place with a 151 (75-76=151), after recording a 6-over 76, one of the top 20 scores of the second round.one of the top 20 scores of the second round.
Only one Big Ten player of the 70 competitors, Michigan State's Donnie Trosper, who currently leads the field at 140 (70-70=140), was even on the day. Eleven of the 14 Big Ten teams saw movement in the standings as Illinois and Minnesota moved into a tie in the top spot, both recording team totals of 303 Saturday and 590 through two rounds.
"Considering the extreme wind conditions, we had some momentum through 8-10 holes," said Penn State head men's golf coach. "As many experienced, the middle of front nine (our back nine) was where we lost several shots. My hope is that our team comes out with enthusiasm needed compete well for the final 18 holes over this magnificent golf course."
Junior Ryan Davis carded 10-over 80 in the second round with a solid showing on the back nine with a 2-over 37. Davis is tied for 34th after Saturday with a 153 total so far (73-80=153). Senior Ryan Dornes fared well on his first nine, making par on seven holes with a birdie on another, but he added strokes on holes 3-8 for his 10-over 80. Dornes is tied for 39th after two rounds (74-80=154).
A tough final nine holes for Alec Bard in his second round countered his 3-over 38 through his first nine. The junior finished day two in a tie for 42nd with a 155 (72-83=155). Trimming three strokes off his first day total, senior JD Hughes made par on four-straight holes and moved up four spots in the standings with an 11-over 81. His 165 (84-81=165) puts him at 66th.
Illinois and Minnesota each have two players currently in the top 10 with Angus Flanagan of Minnesota, the leader after the first round, now in second (65-77=142), and teammate Evan Long moving up 18 spots to 10th (74-73=147). Illini Varun Chopra (71-74=145) is in a tie for seventh and Adrien Dumont de Chassart (73-73=146) moved 15 spots to ninth.
The Nittany Lions will begin teeing off at 9:05 a.m. ET on Sunday for the third and final round of the 2019 Big Ten Men's Golf Championships. Live scoring is available online.
For the latest updates on the team follow @PennStateMGolf on Twitter, "like" the Penn State Men's Golf page on Facebook, and follow head coach Greg Nye on Instagram @CoachNyePSU.
