By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
JACKSON, Tenn. – Veteran play was a difference maker for the Tennessee Tech men's golf team through the first two rounds of the Grover Page Classic Monday afternoon, as the Golden Eagles concluded the first 36 holes of action tied for first place with Ohio Valley Conference rival and tournament host, UT Martin.
Senior Lee Whitehead and junior Adam Cunningham combined for a potent one-two punch on the day, tying with each other for fourth place on the day with matching scores of 142. The wiley veteran of the squad, Whitehead carded a 69 in the first round and wrapped up his day with a 73 in wet and deteriorating conditions.
A local native of Cookeville, Cunningham matched his teammate in each round, posting his own first-round total of 69 and following it up with a 73. His first round score marked a season-low for the junior.
Following as closely as possible, fellow junior Bryce Kendrick concluded his first day of the event in a tie for eighth after tallying a 143 over the first 36 holes. After carding a first-round 74, Kendrick bounced back for 69 in the second round, matching the tournament's low score for 18 holes.
Mitch Thomas, another junior for the Golden Eagles, rounded out the scoring for Tech on Monday, turning in a 75-74=149.
Making his debut in the purple and gold was senior Neil Gannaway. A four-year member of the Golden Eagle football team, the Birmingham, Ala. native finished his first tournament action since high school with solid improvement. He rounded out the day with an 82-76=158, shaving six strokes off his first career round.
Freshman Alexander Riddle enjoyed a great day on the links competing as an individual, tying for 13th overall. Riddle carded a 71-74=145, finishing just one stroke shy of his best two-round total as a member of the Tech squad. Also competing as an individual, redshirt freshman A.J. Wilkerson totaled a final scorecard of 80-76=156.
Tech will wrap up play at the Grover Page Classic on Tuesday with the final 18 holes kicking off with an 8:30 a.m. CT shotgun start.
Photo by Rob Schabert
