PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Bolstered by solid rounds
from the senior duo of Kevin Phelan and Sean Dale,
the No. 25-ranked North Florida men's golf team
doubled their lead Monday at the John Hayt
Collegiate Invitational despite delays, gusty winds
and rain at Sawgrass Country Club.
Phelan and Dale both carded rounds of five-under 67
in leading the Ospreys to a five-under team score of
283 in round two of the Hayt Invitational. UNF leads
the team competition by 12 strokes with a 36-hole
total of 559 (-17), which matches the tournament
record.
For the second consecutive day Phelan set a new
Hayt Invitational record posting a two-day total of
131, five shots better than the previous mark of 136
carded by UNF Hall of Famer David Bennett in 2001.
Phelan heads into the final round with a four-shot
advantage over Dale and his two round tally of 135.
"We had some amazing play from our seniors on a
very challenging day," said UNF head coach Scott
Schroeder. "That is the way seniors should lead your
team to a good round and in contention for a
tournament victory. We need to get some rest though
because tomorrow looks to be another tough battle
against a talented field along with more rain and
wind. It is going to take a strong focus to play well in
the final round."
Joining Phelan and Dale among the Top 20 individuals
is freshman Joe Stepnes and sophomore MJ Maguire.
Stepnes, who is playing as an individual, is in sixth
place with a score of 141 while Maguire sits in a tie
for 18th at 145. Rounding out the Osprey lineup for
the event are sophomore Joey Petronio tied for 43rd
(150) and redshirt freshman Taylor Hancock tied for
81st (159).
Other UNF golfers competing in the event as
individuals include Austin Padova (T-59th/153), Taylor
Johnson (T-63rd/154), Pete Kellerman (T-63rd/154)
and Joey Marino (T-71st/156).
The Ospreys, looking for just their third Hayt
Invitational title, are up double digits on a field that
features 11 teams ranked in the Top 50 nationally.
No. 11 Duke is the only other team under par owning
a total of 571 (-5). No. 45 UCF is third at 585 followed
by No. 14 Arkansas (587), No. 33 North Texas (587),
No. 7 Florida (587), No. 12 LSU (587), No. 38 Tulsa
(589), No. 48 Coastal Carolina (591), Jacksonville
(591), No. 22 Tennessee (592), UAB (592), Mercer
(599), No. 44 Ole Miss (610) and Furman (613).
Tournament action at the Hayt Invitational concludes
Tuesday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. North
Florida will begin play on holes one and two and
paired with Duke and UCF.
View results for John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
ABOUT THE John Hayt Collegiate Invitational
54 hole men's college tournament hosted by
the
University of North Florida. Team (best four scores
of
five players each round) and individual competitions.
View Complete Tournament Information