Duke rises to the top on tough scoring day at GC of Georgia

October 19, 2019 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Chandler Eaton (AGC photo)

In steady rain and gusting winds, Duke put up the lowest score of the day and carved out a slim lead with one round to go.

On a fall day in Alpharetta, Ga., plagued by steady rain and gusting winds, the second round of the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate became about holding position. No team scored particularly low in the challenging conditions at the Golf Club of Georgia, but Duke’s performance allowed the Blue Devils to remain under par for the tournament.

After 36 holes, Duke is 1 under and the only tournament in the red. Credit the team for a 3-over 291 on Saturday, which was the low 18-hole score of the day. Duke players Alex Pendaries and Evan Katz were among few players to get under par. Both brought in a 1-under 71. Pendaries opened the back nine with an eagle at the par-5 first (he started on No. 10) and closed with a final birdie at No. 9.

Behind Duke, Texas A&M also left itself in contention with a round of 4-over 292 on Saturday. The Aggies are 2 over and still within striking distance. That’s four spots higher on the leaderboard than they were at the start of the day.

Two California schools, UCLA (4 over) and Pepperdine (7 over), are third and fourth, respectively. Pepperdine had been in the lead after a 12-under 276 in the opening round, but backed up to a 19-over 307 on Saturday. That was the highest score of any team in the second round.

Host Georgia Tech, the top-ranked team in the nation according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings and the latest coaches poll, lost a little bit more ground, falling one spot on the leaderboard to 10th. The Yellow Jackets were 13 over for the day and are 15 over for the tournament.

In the individual race, Texas A&M’s William Paysse maintained his lead with an even-par 72. He had opened with 67. Pendaries is right behind him at 4 under total.

Results: Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
T1	Eddy Lai	San Jose, CA	800	72-69-68=209
T1	William Paysse	Belton, TX	800	67-72-70=209
T3	Kaito Onishi	, Japan	400	70-73-68=211
T3	Mark Power	, Ireland	400	68-75-68=211
5	Tyler Strafaci	Davie, FL	400	73-71-68=212

View full results for Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate

About the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate

Duke rises to the top on tough scoring day at GC of Georgia

The United States Collegiate Championship, hosted by Georgia Tech, annually brings 15 of the nation's top college teams to The Golf Club of Georgia for a three-day, 54-hole tournament that has been called "the Masters of college golf.” Started in 200...