LAKE OCONEE, Ga. - The #3-ranked Dalton State men's golf team set a pair of records in the first and second rounds of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Intercollegiate at the 6,789 yard, par 72 Harbor Club in Lake Oconee, GA. The Roadrunners set a new school scoring record for 18-holes and 36-holes en route to a (-13, 563) total.
The Roadrunners fired an opening round (-1, 287) to take the lead by nine over Webber International. S.M. Lee, the #1-ranked player in the NAIA, carded an opening round (-4, 68) to take the individual lead.
Junior P.J. Shields followed closely behind with a (-1, 71) to take solo second. Dalton Johnson played a solid round of (E, 72) to tie for 3rd, while freshman Ben Rebne finished out counting scores with a (+1, 73). Junior Chase Cole struggled in the first round, shooting 82 as the fifth Roadrunner. Adam Morris (75) and Sport Allmond (76) performed well as individuals.
Dalton State set program records in the second round tallying a (-12, 276) to set the 18-hole school scoring record. The record second round also helped the Roadrunners set the 36-hole school scoring record. S.M. Lee (-4, 68) maintained his three-shot lead and sits in 1st at 8-under. P.J. Shields matched Lee's (-4, 68) and is 5-under for the tournament. Chase Cole had an amazing second round with a (-5, 67) to climb 13 spots up the leaderboard and sit in a tie for 8th with fellow Roadrunners Ben Rebne (+1, 73) and Adam Morris (+2, 74). Morris is playing as an individual. Dalton Johnson (+1, 73) had another solid round and is in a tie for 4th. Sport Allmond recorded and (E, 72) as an individual and sits in a tie for 6th.
"The guys did a great today, I am also very thankful for Coach McGrew being able to fill in," said DS men's golf coach Ben Rickett. "To shoot the numbers that these guys put up today is a testament to the depth of this team. At this point in the season, the competition starts to get tense as we are narrowing down leading into the postseason. The most important thing is taking care of this event."
"Really proud of the players today," said coach McGrew. "It was a long, tough day and they did a great job of staying focused for 36-holes. Anytime you put up those kind of scores you know it has been a special day and it shows the depth and quality of our team. The thing that impressed me the most was that we fought for 36-holes. We had great scores, but we also turned 77's into 73's instead of the other way around and that shows that we are starting to mature as a team and learning the importance of competing no matter how we are playing. We look forward to finishing off what we started."