DAHLONEGA, Ga. – Tom Forster matched a South Atlantic Conference record low 36-hole score with a 12-under 132 to sit in second, helping Carson-Newman into second-place by the end of Monday at the North Georgia Fall Invitational.
Forster (Oundle, England) opening day sits atop the conference list for two-round scores with Tusculum's Brad Hawkins who carded the same score at the 2015 Pioneer Classic.
C-N was sitting fifth in the field heading into the afternoon with a one-under 287 before four Eagles tacked on under-par performances in the second round to move the team up to second at fifteen-under. The team's 274 in the second round gave it a 561 through 36 holes. Carson-Newman heads into the final round seven shots out of first.
The Eagles were 18-under on par-5 holes with the second-most holes for par at 114. They lead the field for Eagles with five, two of those coming from Fintan McKenna (Aberdeen, Scotland) who has now carded four eagles through the first two events of the season.
"First round was a little shaky with Tom leading the way, and we finally had a good overall team round -- out first one of the year -- in the second round," Carson-Newman coach Randy Wylie said. "That put us in contention and gives us a chance to win tomorrow."
Forster was in the red through both rounds, carding a 67 in the morning before going seven-under in the afternoon. His 65 in the second round was the lowest score for the round among the field. He has now carded a 65 twice in his career, the other time being on March 19, 2018 during the second round of the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate.
The senior was five-under in the first round with six birdies and a bogey on the par-3 third hole, his only bogey of the entire day. The second round brought five more birdies and an eagle on the par-5 14th to go seven-under in the round. He is tied for the top on par-4 scoring at seven-under and tied for the fifth-most birdies on the day with 11.
McKenna heads into the final day holding a share of 10th at three-under. The senior opened his day with a 72 before carding a career-low 69 in the second round. His day was highlighted by back-to-back eagles on the par-5 14th. Beyond that, he shot for birdie four times on Monday with a trio of bogeys and a double-bogey late in the second round. He was on par for 26 holes through the two rounds, the third-most in the event.
Tied for 28th sitting even with par Jake Mynatt (Knoxville, Tenn.), carding a 144. The sophomore matched a career-low in the second round with a 71, carding three bogeys with two birdies and an eagle. This came after a 73 in the morning that brought the first three birdies of his day.
One shot behind Mynatt was Ethan Rimmer (Knoxville, Tenn.), making a statement at 34th in his debut day with the Eagles. The freshman was four-over in the morning on a round of 76, shooting for birdies just two times. He shaved seven shots off of his score in the second round with a three-under 69, moving his two-round total to a one-over 145. Rimmer added on four more birdies in the afternoon with an eagle on the par-5 fourth hole.
"Very nice to see Ethan shooting a round in the 60s in his first tournament ever in college," Wylie said. " I'm proud of him."
Fergus Robinson (Towcester, England), the C-N individual for the event, goes to Tuesday in a tie for 50th. He started his day with a 73 in the first round before a 75 in the afternoon sent him to the clubhouse with a 148. The junior carded four bogeys and three birdies in each of the rounds but a double-bogey in the second pushed him to four-over for the day.
Four shots behind Robinson was Alex Hodge (Knoxville, Tenn.), in a tie for 63rd at eight-over. The junior shot a total of 11 bogeys through the two rounds with just five birdies. Four of those five birdies came exclusively on par-5 holes, helping him to shoot a three-under average on par-5s.
Clayton State leads the tournament heading into Tuesday at 22-under. Five shots behind C-N in third is Southern Wesleyan with a 566.
Joseph Kim of Clayton State is one shot ahead of Forster with a 13-under standing through the first two rounds. King's Leonardo Rigamonti is third at 10-under.
The invitational rolls on to one final round of play on Tuesday. Another shotgun start will begin the round at 9 a.m. from the Achasta Golf Club.
