Photo by: Hardy Meredith | SFA Photography
‘Jacks in Fourth Place after Day One of Jim Rivers Intercollegiate
9/18/2017 8:26:00 PM | Men's Golf
Competing in its first fall tournament, SFA sits in fourth place at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate after shooting a 6-under 570 through the first two rounds on day one
RUSTON, La. – The Stephen F. Austin men's golf team is off to a strong start in its first fall tournament of 2017, finishing fourth after day one of play at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate in Ruston, Louisiana. Through two rounds, the Lumberjacks own a score of 6-under 570 on the par 72 course at the Squire Creek Country Club, just one stroke behind second-place teams UTSA and Central Arkansas.
Junior Angelo Leyvani (San Antonio, Texas) leads SFA and sits in second place overall with a two-round total of 6-under 138, while true freshmen Andy Lopez (Dallas, Texas) and Max Kettler (Southlake, Texas) are tied for 11th after shooting 2-under 142 on the first day.
"The guys had a great practice round yesterday and just stayed loose and had fun today," head coach Trey Schroeder said. "They showed their toughness and determination on a long, hot day by going -3 on their last six holes in the second round."
After posting an even par after the first 18 holes, Leyvani quickly climbed the leaderboard as he shot a 6-under 66 in the second round. The junior jumped 15 spots to grab ahold of second place, sitting five strokes behind tournament leader Lewis George (11-under 133) of Central Arkansas. Lopez had a strong opening round and was the Lumberjacks' leader after 18 holes of play with a 2-under 70. He finished the day by shooting an even par to sit tied for 11th as fellow freshman Kettler shot a 72 in the first round, followed by a 2-under 70 in round two.
Also competing in his first tournament as a collegiate golfer, freshman Steven Fabik (Carrollton, Texas) posted a day one score of 5-over 149 to tie for 40th. He shot a 2-over 74 on the first 18 holes before shooting a 3-over 75 in the second round. Senior Blake Stock (Hewitt, Texas) will look to continue his upward trend on the leaderboard Tuesday after finishing the day tied for 59th with an 8-over 152. Tied for 63rd after the first round, Stock improved his score by four strokes in round two as he shot a 2-over 74.
As a team, the 'Jacks were an even par (288) through the first round and sat in fifth place, before shooting a 6-under 282 in the second round to move up a spot on the leaderboard. SFA sits ahead of seven other Southland Conference teams, including Abilene Christian, Lamar, Nicholls, Houston Baptist, Southeastern Louisiana, Incarnate Word and the University of New Orleans. The 'Jacks also own a nine and 11-stroke lead over Conference USA members Louisiana Tech, the tournament host, and Southern Miss, respectively.
SFA looks to be in good position to best its 2016 showing at the Jim Rivers Intercollegiate where the 'Jacks placed 10th with a three-round score of 25-over 889.
The final round of the tournament will get underway tomorrow at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start. Leyvani, Kettler, Fabik, Lopez and Stock are paired with players from the top three teams on the leaderboard, South Florida, UTSA and Central Arkansas. The foursomes will tee off from holes 1-4.
Team Leaderboard
| 1. | South Florida | -17 | 282-277 | 559 |
| T2. | UTSA | -7 | 283-286 | 569 |
| T2. | Central Arkansas | -7 | 280-289 | 569 |
| 4. | SFA | -6 | 288-282 | 570 |
| 5. | Louisiana Tech | +3 | 294-285 | 579 |
| T6. | Southern Miss | +5 | 292-289 | 581 |
| T6. | Abilene Christian | +5 | 293-288 | 581 |
| 8. | Missouri State | +9 | 287-298 | 585 |
| 9. | Lamar | +13 | 294-295 | 589 |
| 10. | Nicholls | +16 | 296-296 | 592 |
| 11. | Houston Baptist | +17 | 304-289 | 593 |
| 12. | Southeastern Louisiana | +18 | 294-300 | 594 |
| 13. | Incarnate Word | +25 | 310-291 | 601 |
| 14. | New Orleans | +38 | 309-305 | 614 |
Top-10 Leaderboard
| 1. | Lewis George | Central Arkansas | -11 | 65-68 | 133 |
| 2. | Angelo Leyvani | SFA | -6 | 72-66 | 138 |
| T3. | Zander Lozano | UTSA | -5 | 65-74 | 139 |
| T3. | Cristian DiMarco | South Florida | -5 | 70-69 | 139 |
| T5. | Felix Palson | Louisiana Tech | -4 | 72-68 | 140 |
| T5. | Louis Tomlinson | Central Arkansas | -4 | 70-70 | 140 |
| T7. | Kyle Flexsenhar | South Florida | -3 | 70-71 | 141 |
| T7. | Jimmy Jones | South Florida | -3 | 74-67 | 141 |
| T7. | Matt Lorenz | Southern Miss | -3 | 69-72 | 141 |
| T7. | Walker Kesterson | Southern Miss | -3 | 73-68 | 141 |
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
1.29.24 | Axe 'Em Insider Ep. 23 x Golf
Monday, January 29
