MOBILE, Ala. – Yannick Schütz and Peter Staalbo both finished 36 holes below par while Kyle Robinson fired a career-low score in the second round of play to pace the University of South Alabama men's golf team Monday on the first day of the Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate.
Schütz posted a 5-under-par 139 with scores of 69 and 70 while Staalbo shot 71 and 70 in the first two rounds of the Jaguars' second home event of the season, with Robinson pacing South with a 6-under-par 66 in the afternoon. Jordan Plunkett carded a 71 over the second 18 holes as well, giving the Jags an 11-under-par 277 group score as they moved into fourth place in the team standings with a 566 total for the day.
Defending tournament champion Florida State also had four individuals below par in the second round, posting a 17-under-par 271 led by John Pak's 9-under-par 63. The Seminoles have a 36-hole 23-under-par 553 total, building a five-stroke advantage over Louisville and a 10-shot lead on Western Kentucky.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (host): Mobile Sports Authority Intercollegiate (South Alabama)
Date: 2/11
Course: Magnolia Grove Crossings Golf Course (par 72, 7,212 yds)
Live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=16837
TEAM SCORES
1) Florida State 282-271—553 (-23); 2) Louisville 278--280—558; 3) Western Kentucky 282-281—563; 4) South Alabama 289-277—566; 5) Texas State 288-285—573; 6) Nicholls 287-287—574; T7) Louisiana 288-291—579; T7) Illinois State 296-283—579; T7) Richmond 291-288—579; T7) Oral Roberts 292-287—579; 11) Jacksonville State 292-288—580; 12) Kennesaw State 290-291—581; 13) Southern Mississippi 301-286—587; 14) North Alabama 293-299—592; 15) Abilene Christian 298-300—598.
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
1) John Pak, FSU 70-63—133 (-11); T2) Cody Burrows, ORU 71-66—137; T2) Devin Morley, UofL 67-70—137; T4) Stuart Easton, WKU 70-68—138; T4) Quim Vidal Mora, JSU 70-68—138; T6) Yannick Schütz, USA 69-70—139; T6) Calvin Sierota, FSU 70-69—139; T6) Pablo Rodriguez-Tabernero, KSU 70-69—139; T9) four individuals with 140.
SOUTH ALABAMA SCORES
T6) Yannick Schütz 69-70—139 (-5); T13) Peter Staalbo 71-70—141; T17) Kyle Robinson 76-66—142; T35) Jordan Plunkett 74-71—145; T50) Jacob Hatter* 74-74—148; T70) Rasmus Karlsson 75-78—153; T74) Dawson Atkinson* 80-74—154.
*denotes competed as an individual
TEE SHOTS
-The Jaguars' team score over the second 18 holes was one shot shy of tying the tournament record of 276 set by both South and FSU in the final round a year ago.
-Not only did the Seminoles set a new standard with their afternoon performance, Pak tied the previous tournament and course record set by Jason Millard of Middle Tennessee on the final day of the 2011 event.
-The Jags matched the team's low round of the year, first set on the final day of the Fighting Irish Classic hosted by Notre Dame on Oct. 7-8.
-In addition to posting a collective 6-under-par score on par fives, USA was one of three teams to shoot below par on par-four holes as well.
-Schütz now leads the Jags with seven scores at or below par in 2018-19 as his 11 birdies are one off the tournament lead.
-After ranking among the top 20 in the field in scoring on par-three and par-four holes, Staalbo has shot par or better in four straight rounds dating back to the fall.
-Robinson's 66 — which featured seven birdies, including four for a bogey-free 32 on the front side of the course — matched Rasmus Karlsson for the lowest 18-hole figure posted by a Jaguar this season.
-Plunkett has now recorded at least one round at or below par in three of South's last four tournaments, and with six on the year stands one behind Schütz for the team lead in the category.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Ben Hannan
On the team's performance in the second round: "This afternoon's round was some excellent golf by the team with four guys shooting under par led by Kyle's 66; that was really good golf under those conditions, and it put us in a position to move forward and have a nice event. In the morning we played pretty solid, we just couldn't get any momentum going and made some errant bogeys coming in. To their credit, they had some resolve and four guys improved their second-round score. They started off well, continued to play well and more importantly closed well to shoot a very good 11 under par in the afternoon."
On the play of Yannick Schütz and Peter Staalbo: "They were just rock solid all day. Peter hit the golf ball very well, he had some great opportunities. If he gets a hot putter, he has a chance to shoot really low. Yannick grinded all day, he hung in there and got some key up-and-downs when he needed to and made some clutch birdies coming in. What he does is just show up every week."
On the difference in Kyle Robinson's afternoon round: "Kyle is a very good player, he's very talented and certainly is capable of posting those kinds of numbers. He hit some really good golf shots all day, but in the afternoon he started to make some putts and then continued to be patient to give himself opportunities. He was able to pick and choose very well and put himself in a position where he was able to be aggressive. He played the last five holes 3 under par to shoot his career low so far."
Up next: The final round of the tournament will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start on Tuesday.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Birdie Club — the men's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Birdie Club go directly to support the South Alabama men's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/birdieclub.
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