Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, March 12
Lake Oconee, GA
Middle Tennessee
at
Linger Longer Invitational
McKay leads field at Linger Longer Invitational
3/12/2021 3:20:00 PM | Men's Golf
EATONTON, Ga. – Middle Tennessee struggled out of the gate Friday at the Linger Longer Invitational as it began its quest for a fourth consecutive team title, posting a 8-over par 296 in the opening round.
The score put the Blue Raiders in 10th place on the team leaderboard, but they are just 13 strokes back of the lead and have proven so far this spring how capable they are of making up such a gap in 36 holes by posting two of the lowest rounds in school history already this semester.
"I think we needed to experience a round like this to catch our attention," Head Coach Mark McEntire stated. "We've gotten a little bit comfortable, so now I look forward to seeing how we respond in the next two rounds. I really like this team and think we will be just fine if we keep working hard."
Graduate transfer Connor McKay was steady as can be thru 10 holes before catching fire with five straight birdies moving him into a share of the individual lead as he chases his third consecutive Top 5 finish to start the spring.
He closed the day out with his field-leading seventh birdie to finish at 6-under par and is two strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard after posting his second round of 6-under 66, fifth round in the 60s, and seventh under par round in seven rounds so far this semester.
Tanner Owens got to 2-under on the day before a late hiccup, but remains in the Top 25 with an even par 72 that marked the second best round in the Blue Raider lineup.
True freshman Kevin Jegers – competing as an individual at the Linger Longer Invitational – used an eagle on the Par 5 sixth hole to propel him to an impressive 1-under par 71 that marks the fourth round of par or better of his young collegiate career.
"We got a couple of really great rounds from Connor and Kevin today, and Tanner was also very solid as usual," McEntire added. "Everyone on this team is capable of rounds like those three posted today, and we'll need a little bit more of that over the weekend."
Fellow rookie Owen Stamper was slightly off the mark on Friday, turning in a scorecard of 4-over par 76, but is highly capable of a quick turnaround as evidenced by his 7-under par 65 in the final round of the Southern Invitational.
Gavin Clements and Michael Barnard had their fair share of struggles on day one with rounds of 20-over par and 12-over par, respectively, and will look to bounce back on Saturday to help the Blue Raiders climb the leaderboard.
"I expect Mike and Gavin to come out and play well the next two rounds," McEntire said. "We will get a good practice session in this afternoon to work on some things and we plan on making a move up the leaderboard starting tomorrow."
Saturday's second round action begins for the Blue Raiders at 7:35 a.m. CT on hole 10. Live scoring of round two can be followed at Golfstat.com.
The score put the Blue Raiders in 10th place on the team leaderboard, but they are just 13 strokes back of the lead and have proven so far this spring how capable they are of making up such a gap in 36 holes by posting two of the lowest rounds in school history already this semester.
"I think we needed to experience a round like this to catch our attention," Head Coach Mark McEntire stated. "We've gotten a little bit comfortable, so now I look forward to seeing how we respond in the next two rounds. I really like this team and think we will be just fine if we keep working hard."
Graduate transfer Connor McKay was steady as can be thru 10 holes before catching fire with five straight birdies moving him into a share of the individual lead as he chases his third consecutive Top 5 finish to start the spring.
He closed the day out with his field-leading seventh birdie to finish at 6-under par and is two strokes clear at the top of the leaderboard after posting his second round of 6-under 66, fifth round in the 60s, and seventh under par round in seven rounds so far this semester.
Tanner Owens got to 2-under on the day before a late hiccup, but remains in the Top 25 with an even par 72 that marked the second best round in the Blue Raider lineup.
True freshman Kevin Jegers – competing as an individual at the Linger Longer Invitational – used an eagle on the Par 5 sixth hole to propel him to an impressive 1-under par 71 that marks the fourth round of par or better of his young collegiate career.
"We got a couple of really great rounds from Connor and Kevin today, and Tanner was also very solid as usual," McEntire added. "Everyone on this team is capable of rounds like those three posted today, and we'll need a little bit more of that over the weekend."
Fellow rookie Owen Stamper was slightly off the mark on Friday, turning in a scorecard of 4-over par 76, but is highly capable of a quick turnaround as evidenced by his 7-under par 65 in the final round of the Southern Invitational.
Gavin Clements and Michael Barnard had their fair share of struggles on day one with rounds of 20-over par and 12-over par, respectively, and will look to bounce back on Saturday to help the Blue Raiders climb the leaderboard.
"I expect Mike and Gavin to come out and play well the next two rounds," McEntire said. "We will get a good practice session in this afternoon to work on some things and we plan on making a move up the leaderboard starting tomorrow."
Saturday's second round action begins for the Blue Raiders at 7:35 a.m. CT on hole 10. Live scoring of round two can be followed at Golfstat.com.
Players Mentioned
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