MARTIN, Tenn. – With veterans Greg Kitts and Lee Maxwell leading the way and tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard, the Tennessee Tech men's golf team is tied for fifth only 10 shots off the pace following the first two rounds of the UT Martin Skyhawk Classic Monday at Paris Landing State Park.
Kitts, a junior from Caryville, Tenn., was in second place following the first round after shooting a blazing 68, but he slipped five strokes in the second round to a 73 for a 36-hole total 141 heading into Tuesday's final round.
Meanwhile, Maxwell carded back-to-back rounds of 71 and 70, giving him an identical total of 141. A senior from Cookeville, Maxwell joins Kitts and four other golfers in a tie for fourth place at that mark with 18 holes remaining.
The Golden Eagles posted a 284 team total on the first tour of the course Monday, and found themselves in second place in the team standings behinds Lipscomb's 280.
In the second round, the Golden Eagles added a 293, dropped them to a tie for fifth with a 577 total. John A. Logan College jumped from third place with a 285 to the head of the pack with a second-round 282 for a 567 team total.
Lipscomb, like Tech, shot 292 in the second round and is in second place at 572, five strokes back. Consistent efforts from Murray State and Southern Illinois lifted both teams in the standings. The Racers climbed into third place at 574 with rounds of 288 and 286, while SIU shot 287 and 288 for a 575 and fourth place.
Union University was also consistent Monday, with rounds of 288 and 289, and is tied for fifth with the Golden Eagles at 577. One shot back are Alabama State and UT Martin at 578, while a second UT Martin team is ninth at 585. Murray State's second team is 10th at 589, followed by Southern Indiana (599), Jackson State (602) and Bethel (610) in the 14-team field.
Freshman Mitch Thomas is tied for 17th place with rounds of 71 and 73 for a total of 144. Lee Whitehead, another freshman, is at 151 and tied for 58th place, while Maxx Verble is at 155 and tied for 69th place.
Tech also has two players competing as individuals, including freshman Adam Cunningham who is tied for 17th place at 144, and freshman Bryce Kendrick tied for 69th at 155.