By Rob Schabert, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the second round Monday cancelled due to rain, Tennessee State's Big Blue Invitational golf tournament has been shortened to 36 holes.
And with 18 less holes to compete for the crown, the tournament has turned into a real battle royale for Tuesday's second tour of the Hermitage Golf Course.
Nine of the 14 teams in the field are packed within 10 shots of the lead after Monday's opening – and only – round, with five teams within five strokes of the top spot.
Tennessee Tech is tied for seventh place, nine shots behind first-round leader Belmont, after posting a 301 Monday.
Seniors Mitch Thomas and Bryce Kendrick (in photo) are tied for seventh place individually to lead the Golden Eagles, each finishing Monday at one-over-par 73. Senior Neil Gannaway is tied for 32nd place at 76, freshman A.J. Wilkerson is 48th at 79, and freshman Matthew Giles is 75th after shooting 83 in the opening round to complete coach Polk Brown's lineup.
Thomas and Kendrick did their damage on the longer holes, each finishing the day a combined two-under on the par five holes.
Two Golden Eagles are also competing in the affair, playing as individuals. Alexander Riddle is tied with Gannaway for 32nd place at 76, while Ben Huskey is tied for 72nd with an 82.
Three Ohio Valley Conference teams top the leaderboard, led by Belmont with a four-over team total 292. Host Tennessee State is three shots back after scoring a 295, with Murray State third at 296.
The standings are a real jumble toward the top, with Detroit and Evansville tied for fourth at 297, just five shots off the lead, followed by West Georgia at 300. Tech and UT Martin are tied for seventh at 301, just nine shots off the pace, with SIU Edwardsville also in the hunt at 302.
The remainder of the field includes North Greenville (309), Green Bay (312), West Alabama (315), John A. Logan (325) and Walters State Community College (334).
The final round is scheduled to tee of Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.
The Big Bue tourney is the final regular season event of the year for the Golden Eagles leading up to the OVC Championships, April 25-27.