For the second consecutive day, San Jose State University relied on a strong front-nine performance to find itself in fifth place at the Amer Ari Invitational men’s golf tournament.
The Spartans have a 576 team total after 36 holes on the par 72, 6,875-yard Hapuna Golf Course and head into the February 4 final round only two strokes behind first-round leader Georgia Tech, which slipped to third at 574. Oregon State moved from sixth to fourth and is wedged between Georgia Tech and San José State at 575.
Arizona State had the best team score of the day with a 13-under par 275 to move into first at 550. Southern California is second at 558.
On a day when the scoring average for all 51 players was slightly above three strokes higher, San Jose State played its first nine holes nine-under par among its four counting scores from Sean Yu’s one-under par 71, Nate Jetter and Kristopher Stiles’ even par 72, and Caleb Shetler’s 74.
The back nine was tough for the Spartans again with the four counting scores totaling 10-over par. If there was one highlight on the back nine, it was the team’s play on the par 4, 18th hole, the hardest scoring hole on the course. San Jose State’s two-over par team score was a three-stroke improvement over round one and the best by any of the eight teams for round two.
Yu’s 71, which included four of his five birdies on the day on the front nine, kept him in the top-10 in the chase for medalist honors. The Spartan senior is in a four-way tie for fifth at five-under par 139. First-round leader Blake Wagoner of Arizona State who is playing as an individual entry matched Yu’s 71 and remains in the lead with his 134 score. David Puig of Arizona State is second at 135.
Stiles, who had a steady round of two birdies and two bogeys, and Carl Corpus also are in the top-20 for San Jose State tied for 18th place at 146. Corpus’ 75 did not count for the Spartans in the round two team scoring.
Jetter’s even par 72, an eight-stroke improvement over the opening round, gave him a 152 total and a tie for 32nd place. Shetler’s second straight 74 placed him in a tie for 23rd at 148.
Playing as an individual entry, San Jose State junior Bryce Wortman is tied for 42nd place at 157 after an 81 for his second 18 holes.
The 54-hole tournament concludes with 18 holes on Thursday, February 5. San Jose State’s tee times from the first hole range from 8:00 to 8:24 a.m. (HT). Live scoring is available at www.golfstat.com