Deacons Holding On To Ninth Place At NCAA East Regional
5/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
May 21, 2004
Wake Forest senior Bill Haas took sole possession of first place while the Demon Deacon team moved up three valuable spots to ninth place in the second round of the NCAA East Regional in New Haven, CT.
The 54-hole, 27-team event concludes Saturday at the Yale University Golf Course.
Haas shot an even-par 70 Thursday to remain at 3-under for the tournament, moving him into first place in the individual race. Haas holds a one-stroke lead over Florida's Camilo Villegas and a two-stroke lead over Rhode Island's Kenneth Fahey, the only players under par after 36 holes.
The more important race, however, is the battle among teams to finish in the top 10, which will qualify it for the June 1-4 NCAA Championship in Hot Springs, Va. Wake Forest, which shot a solid 8-over par score Thursday, holds on to ninth place. The Demon Deacons enter the final 18 holes just four shots ahead of 10th place Jacksonville State and Georgia State and just five shots ahead of three other teams.
The team standings are so tightly bunched that Wake Forest remains in contention for the regional title, just nine shots behind leader Penn State. The Nittany Lions are one stroke ahead of Florida, two shots in front of North Carolina and four strokes ahead of both Clemson and Georgia Tech.
Wake Forest is vying for its 41st appearance in the NCAA Championship.
Haas had three birdies and three bogies Thursday en route to a 70. The Ben Hogan Award winner is one individual victory shy of breaking the Wake Forest career record for tournament wins.
Freshman Sean Moore, the ACC individual champion, continued his solid play. He shot an even par 70 Thursday, making him 2-over for the tournament and tied for 14th place. First team All-ACC sophomore Kyle Reifers improved his score from 77 Thursday to a 1-over 71 on Friday.
Team Standings
Penn State - 285-575 (+15)
Florida - 290-576 (+16)
North Carolina - 283-577 (+17)
Clemson - 291-579 (+19)
Georgia Tech - 288-579 (+19)
Individual Standings
Bill Haas, Wake Forest - 70-137 (-3)
Camilo Villegas, Florida - 70-138 (-2)
Kenneth Fahey, Rhode Island - 72-139 (-1)
Five players tied at 141 (+1)
Wake Forest Individuals
Bill Haas - 70-137 (-3)
Sean Moore - 70-142 (+2)
Kyle Reifers - 71-148 (+8)
Chad Wilcox - 79-159 (+19)
Doug Manchester - 77-159 (+19)
