HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Three members of Henderson State broke par on Monday as the Reddies extended their lead at the Great American Conference Men’s Golf Championships to 10 following second-round action from the Arlington Course at the Hot Springs Country Club.
Nick Shapiro, the medalist at last year’s GAC Championships, moved up 11 spots to a tie for fourth as shot a 2-under par 70. He carded six birdies in his round. Trey DePriest pushed his lead on the individual side to five strokes after he recorded a 71. One day after netting eight birdies, he added three more to total a tournament-leading 11. Cameron McRae produced the third sub-par round after tallying three birdies against only two bogeys for a 1-under 71. He climbed into the top 10 with his performance.
Arkansas Tech took over the second position after posting a team score of 5-over 293. Shawn Tsai made a major move for the Wonder Boys as his second-round 1-under score resulted in him moving up to 12
th from 29
th. Luke Cornett shot his second-straight 72 and Austin Gean added a 74 that left both at even par through the 36 holes and in a tie for fourth with Shapiro.
Southeastern Oklahoma State leads a clustered pack of six schools separated by only eight shots. The Savage Storm’s four scoring golfers all shot between a 72, as posted by Ryan Woods, and the 75 recorded by Jordan Holifield. GAC Player of the Year Zach James registered a 74 to post a 36-hole total of 1-over 145 and place in a three-way tie for seventh.
Southwestern Oklahoma State maintained its position, a tie for fourth. The Bulldogs now share the spot with Oklahoma Baptist, who moved up from the seventh slot. Kason Cook held on the second place on the individual leaderboard after he shot a 1-over 73 to post a two-day score of 1-under par. He recovered from a 4-over start after the opening four holes by making five birdies on his final 14 holes.
The Bison’s Dalton Rhoden made the biggest move up the leaderboard. He came into Monday in a tie for 31
st, but after shooting the low round of the day, a 3-under par 69, he soared up 21 spots to a tie for 10
th.
Northwestern Oklahoma State failed to replicate it stellar first round as the Rangers required 14 more shots to navigate the course than they needed on Sunday. They dropped down to sixth place. Cole Ward joined Cook in a tie for second place after he made third birdies against two bogeys for a 1-under par round.
Harding, Southern Arkansas and Southern Nazarene all moved up one place in the standings. The Bisons’ Mason Banger joined James and McRae in a tie for seventh following his second-round 73. SAU registered the best team improvement of round, shaving 13 shots of its first-round score. Kade Johnson shot the low round of the day for the Muleriders as his 1-under 71 shot him up 19 spots on the individual standings.
Southern Nazarene also showed marked improved as the Crimson Storm reduced its team score by 10 strokes. Jacob Prentice and Rhett Bechtel led the team with matching 1-over 73s. Prentice held onto a spot in the top 10. Arkansas-Monticello slid from a tie fourth to 10
th,
Tuesday’s final round begins at 7:30 a.m. with the Weevils and Crimson Storm firing the opening shots off the first tee.