The No. 14-ranked Georgia men’s golf team stands tied for 13th after two rounds of the NCAA Championships at Blessings Golf Club.
On the par-72, 7,550-yard layout on Saturday, the Bulldogs carded their second straight 12-over 300 to move to 24-over 600 for the tournament. Oklahoma State has the team lead at 10-under 566, followed by Stanford at 2-over 578 and Texas A&M at 7-over 583. The Bulldogs and Georgia Tech are tied at 24-over 600.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs played the front nine at a 2-over clip, including an even-par tally by the eventual four scorers. Georgia, however, struggled on the back nine, going 22-over overall and 12-over among the scorers — including six shots on the final three holes.
“We got off to a good start and got a little momentum,” Georgia head coach Chris Haack said. “Then we kind of got derailed on the backside and that threw us off a little bit. Good news is we’ve got two more rounds and we just need to come out swinging. This team is focused on what it needs to do. We know how to play this golf course, and I’m confident our best play is still ahead of us.”
Georgia’s Spencer Ralston during the NCAA Championships at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday, May 25, 2019. (Photo by Steven Colquitt)
Stroke play will continue with the third round on Sunday. The Bulldogs will tee off in 11-minute increments between 9:40 and 10:24 a.m. EDT with Georgia Tech and SMU. Following Sunday’s round, the field will be cut to the low 15 teams for Monday’s final stroke play loop. The top eight squads after 72 holes will advance to match play.
“To make match play, we’ll have to be mentally tougher,” freshman Trent Phillips said. “We can’t break down like we did today coming down the stretch. Every shot matters. If we focus and keep grinding, we’ll be fine.”
Phillips paced the Bulldogs on Saturday as he signed for a 1-under 71. Sophomore Davis Thompson carded a 1-over 73, followed by junior Spencer Ralston at 3-over 75, and junior Trevor Phillips at 9-over 81. Freshman Will Kahlstorf had the Bulldogs’ non-counting score of 12-over 84.
Trent Phillips moved to even-par 144 for the tournament and stands ninth overall. Oklahoma State’s Austin Eckroat is the individual leader at 6-under 138, followed by Cowboys teammate Matthew Wolff and California’s Collin Morikowa both at 5-under 139.
Ralston and Thompson both moved to 5-over 149 and into 48th, while Trevor Phillips is 138th at 16-over 160, and Kahlstorf is 142nd at 17-over 161.
Also on Saturday, the Golf Coaches Association of America named Trent Phillips, Ralston, and Thompson to the Division I PING All-Southeast Region Team.
The Golf Channel will air live coverage from Monday’s stroke-play final round at 4 p.m. EDT, Tuesday’s match-play quarterfinals at 11 a.m. EDT, Tuesday’s match-play semifinals at 4 p.m. EDT, and Wednesday’s match-play finals at 4 p.m. EDT.