April 20, 2009

Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship - Round 2 Results / Round 3 Tee Times

Florence, S.C. - Tanner Briele moved into a four-way tie for second place at four-under, 140, just two strokes in arrears of individual leader, Drew Lethem, from Georgia Southern on Monday at the 2009 Southern Conference Men's Golf Championship. Despite Briele's advancement, Western Carolina slipped one position in the overall team standings to fourth entering Tuesday's final round at the par 72, 7,062-yard Country Club of South Carolina.

The league's top squad during the regular season, Chattanooga, overtook first-round tournament leader, Georgia Southern, by four strokes on Monday to move into the team lead. The Mocs (566), which trailed by a stroke on Sunday, carded a one-under, 287, on Monday to take a four-shot advantage over Georgia Southern (570), which slipped to second after a four-over, 292.

Furman (572) moved ahead of Western Carolina (579) for third place after the two were tied after 18 holes with identical rounds of two-under, 286, on Sunday. Elon advanced two positions to fifth with a two-day score of 592 to round out the top five teams, 13 strokes behind WCU.

Wofford (593), UNC Greensboro (594), Davidson (595), College of Charleston (596) Samford (604) and Appalachian State at 611 rounded out the 11-team field.

First-round individual leader, Lethem, followed up his opening-round, six-under 66 with an even-par round on Monday which allowed the field to creep back within striking range. Four golfers, including WCU's Briele, are tied for second at four-under, just two strokes off the pace.

After shooting a three-under 69 on Sunday, Briele, who transferred to Western from ECU prior to the spring semester, posted a one-under 71 on Monday to lead the Catamounts with a four-under, 140. Briele posted 14 pars in the second round and was three-under through 11 holes before a double-bogey on the par 3, 184-yard No. 12 - a hole he birdied on Sunday - pushed him to one-under where he finished his round.

The Catamounts first-round leader, junior Ricky Stout, had an up-and-down round on Monday that included four birdies, five bogies and one double. The New Bern, N.C., native dropped from third into a two-way tie for 11th after a three-over, 75.

Senior Andres Cuenca trimmed three strokes off his opening day score of 75 to card an even-par 72 on Monday to move into a tie for 16th, while classmate Dustin Furnari shot three-over, 75, to stand one-stroke in arrears in a tie for 24th, overall. Cuenca moved to one-under twice on the front nine with birdies and made the turn at 35. However, a bogey on the par 4, 452-yard No. 15 moved him back even where he finished.

Rounding out WCU's scorers was freshman Martin Summer, playing in his first-ever SoCon Championship, with a five-over 77 for a two-round total of 153, tied for 42nd.

Fans can follow Tuesday's final round online at www.GolfStatResults.com.