Georgia Tech’s golf team moved up to a tie for 12th after the second round of play at the NCAA championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. After starting the day in a tie for 17th at 9-over-par, the Yellow Jackets reached as high as a tie for eighth during the round as they played the first nine holes in even-par.
However, Tech’s four scoring players gave up eight shots to par over the back nine, leaving the Jackets at 17-over-par going into the third round on Sunday. The team’s second-round score of 288 tied for the 10th lowest of the day.
Coach Bruce Heppler’s team is in a competitive position in the 30-team field, which will be narrowed down to 15 after Sunday. Tech is tied with Louisville at +17, with Texas Tech and Arkansas are tied for 14th at +20 and Georgia and SMU are tied for 16th at +21.
But the Jackets will likely need to score better to be among the eight teams advancing to match play after the fourth round. After the second round, Clemson and Wake Forest were tied for eighth at +11, six strokes ahead of Tech.
Noah Norton and Ben Smith were Tech’s low scorers Saturday, both shooting 1-over-par 71. Norton is the team’s low man for the tournament, tied for 33rd at 3-over-par.
Oklahoma State leads at 6-under-par.