Razorbacks in second with 18 to play

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Senior David Lingmerth led the Arkansas men’s golf team on day two of the Southeastern Conference Championships at the Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga., on Saturday, pacing the Razorbacks to second with 18 holes left to play.

Lingmerth fired a one-under-par, 69, on Saturday, a rarity as scores across the board were up from yesterday’s action because of tougher winds throughout the round. The Razorbacks’ team score of 286 on Saturday was the fifth best of the day and moved Arkansas to four-over (564) as a team. Georgia took over the top spot on the team side with a fantastic score of 277 on day two (560) to move to even par for the tournament. Tennessee (568), South Carolina (569) and LSU (571) round out the top five team scores.

"We made a couple of mistakes and didn’t put as well as we could have, but overall I am really proud of the guys," Arkansas head coach Brad McMakin said. "We turned it around about midway through the round and all in all it wasn’t too bad. I’m glad that we have a chance going into the final day. Perhaps we can get off to a good start and put some pressure on Georgia tomorrow."

For the Razorbacks, Lingmerth was the only player to shoot under par on Saturday with his 69 which included six birdies, but five bogeys as well. Arkansas’ top player was one-under-par over the front nine and shot even par on the back side for his sub-par effort which matched his best score at an SEC Championship and has him in seventh place in the individual standings.

Junior Jamie Marshall rebounded from a tough first day on the Seaside Course to finish at one-over-par for the day and 141 for the two days placing him in a tie for 24th. Marshall was on par through the first six holes, and then birdied the par five seventh to go one under. A bogey on the ninth hole had him at even par through the front nine. A double bogey on the 11th hole hurt Marshall’s round but birdies on two of the final three holes allowed him to move up the leaderboard.

Freshman Austin Cook’s two-over-par 72 on Saturday was Arkansas’ third-best round of the day and places the first-year player in a tie for eighth overall. Two birdies and a bogey on the front nine had Cook at one-under-par for the front side, but a trio of bogeys on the back nine gave the Jonesboro, Ark., native his final score.

A triple bogey for senior Dalton Owens early in his round dropped him out of the top spot in the individual standings and could have ruined Arkansas’ chances at a team title, but solid play through the remainder of the day kept him and the Razorbacks in the thick of the title hunt. Owens’ day would end at four-over-par, but the Missouri native fired a one-under-par 34 on the back nine to salvage the day. Despite his struggles on Saturday, Owens is tied for eighth in the individual standings.

Freshman Josh Eure rounded out Arkansas’ Saturday effort with a seven-over-par, 77. The Razorbacks return to the course on Sunday morning for their final round of the SEC Championships in search of their second SEC Championship. For more information regarding Razorback men’s golf or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.