By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's golf team soared up the leaderboard at the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate Monday afternoon, jumping from eighth place to fourth after completing round two of the event at the River Course of Sevierville Golf Club.
A day after posting a 295 to rank in the bottom half of the 14-team field, the Golden Eagles leapt into fourth place thanks to a 6-under 282, the team's second lowest score of the year and best since firing a 280 in the first round of EKU's Raising Canes Intercollegiate.
Eastern Kentucky remained in first place after posting a 277 on the day, owning a 564 to sit 13 strokes ahead of Tech's 577. Carson-Newman and Austin Peay ranked in a tie for second place with scores of 569.
Significant improvements from Tech's top two-scorers led the charge on the day, with junior Matthew Giles and senior Alexander Riddle leading the Golden Eagle lineup with total scores of 142. Giles carved four shots away from is 73 in the first round, posting a 3-under 69. Riddle popped six strokes off his first-round score to card a 4-under 68. The two veterans ranked tied for 10th in the 84-man field headed into the final day.
Freshman Will Brooks continued his mastery of the par five holes on the course, ranking first in the field through two rounds with a mark of 6-under. That approach helped the rookie shave three shots off his 74 from day one and post a 1-under 71 and 145 two-day total. He ranked tied for 23rd.
Fellow freshman Bracton Womack and senior A.J. Wilkerson made up the remainder of the Tech starters, both tying for 42nd with scores of 149. Womack turned in a 74 while Wilkerson completed the day with a 75.
Boasting the best day on the links among the Golden Eagles was sophomore Cameron Yeary, who shattered his career-best mark of 70 with a 5-under 67. Competing as an individual, his two-day total of 139 moved him into a tie for fifth place and within striking distance of the overall leader, Tom Forster of Carson-Newman. Forster led all scorers through 36 holes with a 136.
Year's 67 represented the second lowest score by a Golden Eagle on the year, just one stroke back of Brooks' 66 at the MTSU Intercollegiate.
Also enjoying another solid day on the course as an individual was sophomore Dabney Dickenson. The youngster matched his even-par 72 from day one to tie for 17th overall with a 144.
The third and final round of the sixth annual Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate is set to get underway with a shotgun start at 9:15 a.m. CT on the River Course of Sevierville Golf Club.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
