ATHENS, Ga. — No. 24 men’s golf (278-279–557) concluded day two of the NCAA Athens Regional at the University of Georgia Golf Club in fifth at 11-under par on Tuesday.
“The team started off really hot today with six birdies in our first three holes, but we went flat for a 10-hole stretch,” director of golf Todd Miller said. “We were able to get back inside the top-5 because we made five birdies on the par-5 seventh and a couple on eight.”
A 5-under-par second round was good enough for the Cougars to remain in the top-5 with one round to go. Three Cougars stayed in the top-25 to help keep BYU afloat.
No. 13 Vanderbilt (277-269–546) had a tournament-best 15-under-par day two to jump into first place at 22-under par, No. 36 Louisville (274-275–549) ended Tuesday in second at 19-under par and No. 1 Auburn (277-277–554) matched its first round score of 7-under par to sit in third. No. 26 Georgia (279-277–556) finished its first two rounds at 12-under par, a stroke ahead of the fifth-place Cougars, who are fifth with 18 holes to play.
Parker Bunn (70-67–137) moved into a tie for ninth after posting a 5-under 67 in his first 36 holes. Bunn’s 4-under-par on day two marked the lowest 18-hole round of his career, topping a 2-under 70 in the first round of The Tindall last fall.
“The course is in really good shape,” Bunn said. “The reason I have been able to play well the last two days was that I hit it into spots in the greens where I can attack on putts. If you short-side yourself out here or leave yourself a downhill putt, you can have some trouble.”
“Parker kept us in it today with his 67,” Miller said. “He has been striking the ball very solid and his short game is on point."
Peter Kim (70-68–138) kept BYU in contention with a 3-under-par 69. Kim put himself tied for 11th at 4-under par with one round remaining.
Kihei Akina (68-72–140) concluded his second round tied for 21st at 2-under par after carding a 1-over par on Tuesday.
Tyson Shelley (70-73–143) wrapped up his round tied for 39th at 1-over par. Simon Kwon (74-72–146) finished the day at 4-over par and tied for 52nd.
“This team has a lot of grit,” Bunn said. “I know and trust that this team will come back and be in a great spot coming down the stretch. We just have to be even more disciplined in our routines and play to our ability. If we can give ourselves good putts for birdies, we will be in a great spot. In terms of what I can do, if I stick to my process and play with confidence, I know I can help this team.”
“The final round of a regional is always a little crazy,” Miller said. “It will be important for our guys not to watch the leaderboard or get thinking ahead. We need to have good energy, positive thoughts, and a lot of patience.”
BYU will look to advance to the NCAA National Championship after the final round on Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. MDT. Live coverage on babygrandegolf.com will begin at 5:50 a.m. MDT, and live scoring will be updated on Scoreboard.