JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Tom Forster (Oundle, England) shot a one-over 143 over 36 holes to tie for fifth, helping the Carson-Newman men's golf team finish seventh through two rounds at the Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate at The Fleming Island Golf Club in Jacksonville, Fla.
Forster was tied for fifth after finishing round one one-over and proceed to knock one stroke off his round two score, carding an even-par 71 for total of 143 over the course of the entire day.
The freshman was at his best on the course's longest holes, as he tied for the day's third best score on par fives with a mark of three-under and a 4.63 stroke average. Forster also completed the first 36 holes tied for eighth with seven birdies, even with one other player for 14th on par fours with a 4.11 stroke average and tied for 12th with 23 pars.
As a team, C-N was tied for first after 18 holes with Flagler College, the No. 25 ranked program in the nation, with a score of 291. Unfortunately, they were unable to maintain that success in the second round, slipping to seventh after putting up a +22 306.
"We had some solid play today," golf coach Randy Wylie said. "Unfortunately we had to count one really poor score, which hurts our chances of winning tomorrow. Hopefully we will come out focused, play well and finish in the top five."
The Eagles' second score came from Dalton Reese. The Warrenton, Ga. native is tied for 19th following a day in which he posted the same score as Forster after one round, but added three strokes in round two, entering the clubhouse with a five-over 147. Reese was one of the tournament's most efficient players on par fours, recording a 4.06 stroke average that tied him for fourth. He also sits even with Forster and several other player with seven birdies to his credit.
Just one shot behind Reese is Jake Headrick (Maryville, Tenn.) at plus six. He improved a couple strokes in the aftermath of a 75 in the morning to log a 73 in the afternoon. The sophomore's score of one-under on par threes through 36 holes currently has him in a deadlock with three other golfers for the event's third best mark. He's also one of the student-athletes tied with Forster with 23 pars.
C-N got outstanding play in round one from Anthony Marcinelli (Knoxville, Tenn.). The sophomore was just one-over during morning play and in fifth. He began the day by birdieing the first hole and then made 12 consecutive pars before shooting two-over through his final five. Marcinelli did not participate in the second round and is in 82nd.
Freshman Fintan McKenna (Westhill, U.K.) got off to an excellent start in the morning on the front nine, as a pair of birdies placed him two-under. He stumbled to 11-over through the final nine for a first round score of 80. Following a 16-over afternoon, McKenna sits tied for 74th.
Freshman Brady Childers (Granite Falls, N.C.), who is participating in the event as an individual whose scores are not counted towards C-N's total mark, is tied for 45th at 11-over. Childers matched the totals of Reese and Forster with seven birdies on the day.
Flagler and host school Lincoln Memorial are currently the leaders in the clubhouse, as the Saints and Railsplitters own scores of eight-over. Young Harris is four strokes behind and in third with Belmont Abbey in fourth and Palm Beach Atlantic in fifth.
The teams are scheduled to conclude the tournament with 18 holes on Tuesday morning. Results and a recap of the action will be published on cneagles.com.
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