SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Braylon Bingham fired a bogey-free 4-under 67, and he and JingCheng (Jarell) Wang are tied for ninth at 3-under 139 on Monday, Oct. 19. Southern Utah men's golf sits sixth in the seven-team field at 569 (286-283) at the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate, hosted by Missouri State at par-71 Twin Oaks Country Club.
"Braylon and Jarell gave us exactly what we need from the top of the lineup today. Braylon's round this afternoon was as clean as you'll see, and Jarell has been steady all day. I liked the way we responded as a team in the second round and got under par. We have 18 holes left, and we want to keep climbing tomorrow."
Tournament Snapshot
UT Martin leads at 23-under after rounds of 11-under and 12-under. Kansas City is two strokes back at 21-under. Bradley (-13), host Missouri State (-12) and SIU Edwardsville (-5) round out the top five. Southern Utah is sixth at 1-over, 12 strokes ahead of seventh-place Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
The Thunderbirds' counting scores combined for 23 birdies and an eagle across the two rounds.
Bingham Goes Low
Bingham opened with a 1-over 72. He answered in the second round with the team's best card of the day, a bogey-free 67.
He birdied the par-3 seventh to turn at 1-under 34. On the back nine he added birdies on the par-5 10th, the 217-yard par-3 11th and the 445-yard par-4 16th to come home in 33.
Bingham closed his first round with a birdie on the 17th and has now played 20 consecutive holes without a bogey. He is 3-under on the course's par 3s and leads the team with six birdies through 36 holes.
Wang Steady Throughout
Wang set the pace in the morning with a 3-under 68 that included four birdies. Two came on the front nine, at the par-4 sixth and the par-5 eighth. He added two more on the back nine, at the par-4 12th and the par-4 16th, for a front-nine 33.
He followed with an even-par 71, again birdieing the sixth, to stay in the top 10. Wang made just two bogeys in 36 holes, the fewest on the team, and is 3-under on the par 4s.
Gillespie in Top 25
Charlie Gillespie is tied for 25th at 1-over 143 (70-73). He opened with a 1-under 70, SUU's second-best score of the morning, and started that round with a birdie on the first hole. He added birdies on Nos. 5 and 10. He birdied the third and ninth holes in the afternoon.
Stirland Eagles the Eighth
Michael Stirland produced the shot of the day for the Thunderbirds. He made an eagle 3 on the 508-yard par-5 eighth hole during his second round, then made the turn with a birdie on the 10th.
Stirland trimmed four strokes from his opening round and is tied for 41st at 6-over 148 (76-72). He is 4-under on the course's par 5s through two rounds.
Barnes Bounces Back
Luke Barnes improved by five strokes from his first round. He posted a 74 in the afternoon that included birdies on the first hole and the par-3 15th, and he sits 50th at 153 (79-74).
Individuals
Competing as individuals, Sky Moon and David (Charles) Serdenia are tied for 41st at 6-over 148. Moon shot 74-74, and Serdenia shot 75-73.
Moon turned in 2-under 33 in the opening round after birdies on Nos. 3, 6 and 8.
Serdenia made a team-best four birdies in the second round. Two of them came on par 3s, at the 216-yard second and the 165-yard 15th, and his 73 improved on his opener by two strokes.
Boston Dixon is 52nd at 157 (78-79).
Up Next
The final round of the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate is set for Tuesday, Oct. 20.
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