With two rounds in the books at the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) Region 17 Mens' Golf Tournament, the Georgia Northwestern Bobcats have some work to do if they are to win the overall region title.
However, the GCAA Division III crown and the automatic berth to New York that comes with it is as close to a virtual lock as you can get.
With just 18 holes remaining at the Kinderlou Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia Northwestern sits nine shots behind the leaders from Division II Darton College, but the Bobcats are a full 115 shots clear of fellow Division III school Georgia Military College.
The Division II and Division III champions from the region will earn an automatic bids to their respective NJCAA Men's National Tournaments later this year.
The Bobcats got off to a fast start during Round 1 on Monday morning as they posted a team score of 296, the lowest score among all teams in the opening round.
The 296 is the second-lowest round the Bobcats have had in a competitive round during the 2015-2016 season. Georgia Northwestern had back-to-back rounds of 294 at the Reinhardt Invitational back in late September and they shot another 294 in the final round of the Stonebridge Invitational in Albany back on March 15.
Sophomore Chase Cole fired a score of 71 in his first round with sophomore Jordan Estes adding a 72. Sophomore Grant Allen had a solid 75, while freshman Tucker Venable shot a 78 in his first region tournament appearance to round out the team total. Sophomore Lanier Guest also played in the opening round, finishing with an 86, but only the four lowest scores count toward the team total.
The Bobcats weren't as sharp in Monday's afternoon session as they posted a 306. Cole paced the team with a 73, followed by Estes with a 74 and Guest with a 79. Allen had an 80 to round out the team score, while Venable posted an 81.
ABAC, a Division II squad, is in third place, five shots behind the Bobcats with a two-round total of 607, while another Division II team, Andrew College, is in fourth. GMC rounds out the current team standings.
The tournament will conclude on Tuesday.
Georgia Northwestern is the defending Region 17 Division III champions.