Flames in Ninth Place at Mason Rudolph Championship
4/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Following the first two rounds of action at the 2016 Mason Rudolph Championship, Liberty stands in ninth place in the 14-team field.
After circling the Vanderbilt Legends Club South Course twice (par 71, 7,100 yards) on Saturday, Liberty enters tomorrow's final round with a 28-over par 596 (297-299).
No. 9 Vanderbilt struggled on its home course during the afternoon flight, allowing two teams in the field to get within striking distance enter play on Sunday.
The Commodores, who have won their home tournament two out of the last three years, lead the field with a 2-under par 566 (275-291).
No. 19 Florida gained some ground during the second round and is in second place with a 1-over par 569 (283-286), followed by No. 17 Alabama's 5-over par 573 (282-291).
Lamar is in fourth place with a 15-over par 583 (296-287), while East Tennessee State rounds out the top five teams in the field with a 19-over par 587 (288-299).
The Flames are in a group of six teams that are separated by 12 strokes. No. 39 SMU leads the half-dozen teams with a 20-over par 588 (300-288), followed by No. 42 UAB (21-over par 589/287-302) and No. 43 Memphis (23-over par 591/299-292). Following Liberty's 28-over par 596 are Rice's 30-over par 598 (301-297) and Ball State's 32-over par 600 (300-300).
Six players in the 78-man field are currently in red figures, paced by Florida's Gordon Neale, who leads the field with a 4-under par 138 (70-68).
He is followed by his teammate Sam Horsfield (70-70), who is individually ranked No. 6 in the country, and Vanderbilt's Will Gordon (69-71), who is ranked No. 24. Both golfers enter tomorrow's final round with a 2-under par 140 score.
The Flames' top golfer in the field is Mickey DeMorat, who is tied for 20th place with a 4-over par 146 (73-73). The sophomore's scorecards on the day featured three birdies and an eagle on the par-5, No. 17 hole (576 yards) during his first round.
Adam Eineving tied DeMorat for Liberty's best round of the afternoon, allowing the sophomore to climb 14 spots up the leaderboard to a share of 36th place with a 7-over par 149 (76-73). His improved second round featured four birdies and five bogeys, allowing him to tie his lowest round of the spring season.
Isaiah Logue (74-78) and Payton Taylor (74-78) posted identical scores during their first two rounds and currently share 51st place with a 10-over par 152. Taylor led the Flames on the day with six birdies, but countered his under-par scores with four double bogeys.
Rounding out Liberty's starting five in the field is Gabe Lench, who is tied for 61st place with a 12-over par 154 (79-75). Like Eineving, Lench was able to post an improved score during the second round.
The Flames will be among the earliest off the tee for the final round on Sunday, starting play at 8 a.m. (CST) off the tee at No. 1 (par 4, 414 yards). The Flames will be paired with golfers from UAB (18-over par 589) and Memphis (23-over par 591) during tomorrow's final round.
