Story Links
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Longwood men’s golf may have started slow, but they finished strong on opening day.
The Lancers soared up the standings at the Joe Feaganes Invitational with a searing second round a with a second round. The team combined to go 12 under par, the third-lowest score of the round, to climb from 14th all the way to sixth in the standings.
Four players shot below par, with David Lafreniere and Hunter Swidzinski firing matching 65s to lead the team.
NOTABLE RESULTS:
The Lancers were excellent all throughout round two, bettering their round one score by 15 strokes. That allowed the team to shoot a 287-272—559 (-9), which has the team one stroke ahead of the tournament hosts Marshall and one stroke back of a three-way tie for third between Dayton, Bellarmine and Youngstown State.
Among the team scorers, Lafreniere was tied for seventh in the 94-player field. He posted a six-under 65, seven strokes better than his opening round, to card a 72-65—137 (-5).
In Lafreniere’s second round, he drained six birdies to go with 12 pars.
Meanwhile Swidzinski, competing as an individual, was tied for third following two rounds. He notched an even-par 71 in the opening round before dialing up his 65 for round two for a 71-65—136 (-6). He sits five shots back of the tournament leader. He had eight birdies in the second round.
Matthew Hartley also made a four-shot improvement on his first round to climb into a tie for 22nd. The freshman closed well with three birdies and five pars in his final eight holes of the round. His 72-68—140 (-2) has him inside the top 25 in his collegiate debut.
Cam Hardison also closed well, matching Hartley’s scoreline to tie for 22nd on the day. He posted a 72-68—140 (-2), and he too was at his best in the closing stretch. Hardison played his final nine holes at three under with three birdies and six pars.
Josh Cummins sits tied for 47th following a 71-73—144 (+2) day. He fired an eagle in the opening round and had a total of five birdies on the day.
Gabriel Mainella also tied with Cummins at 47th with a 73-71—144 (+2), and he played his final 11 holes at two under to card a solid closing stretch in his college debut.
WHAT THEY SAID:
“Obviously, when looking at the team we had on the golf course today, it’s safe to say we’ve entered a different era versus the team we’ve had the past few years,” said Longwood Head Coach Kevin Fillman. “The plan was to basically put guys out there and let them experience it and learn as they went. I’m really pleased with how both our freshman and our veteran players responded. It wasn’t without a few sloppy stretches, but we did a lot of really good things today.”
“Everybody was ready to go this morning, so we had a pretty nice start initially,” Fillman added. “Unfortunately, not a lot happened in the morning round. It seemed like we were playing to just hold on a bit too much. Once the afternoon round began, it looked like somebody flipped a switch. I can’t say whether it was because most of us were simply more comfortable or whatever the case may have been, but we played much more freely and aggressively. It was great to watch us make a bunch of birdies, especially on day one. The key will now be for us to get back to that same mindset for tomorrow’s round. I’m looking forward to see if we can get there again.”
FULL RESULTS:
1. Eastern Kentucky: 279-264—543 (-25)
2. Murray State: 280-271—551 (-17)
3. Youngstown State: 280-279—448 (-10)
3. Bellarmine: 282-276—558 (-10)
3. Dayton: 280-278—558 (-10)
6. Longwood: 287-272—559 (-9)
7. Marshall: 270-290—260 (-8)
8. Ohio: 286-275—561 (-7)
9. Purdue Fort Wayne: 279-23—562 (-6)
10. Cleveland State: 284-285—569 (+1)
11. Radford: 284-287—571 (+3)
11. Robert Morris: 286-285—571 (+3)
13. Central Michigan: 286-286—572 (+4)
14. Missouri State: 283-291—574 (+6)
15. Northern Kentucky: 294-286—580 (+12)
*T3. Hunter Swidzinski: 71-65—136 (-6)
T7. David Lafreniere: 72-65—137 (-5)
T22. Matthew Hartley: 72-68—140 (-2)
T22. Cam Hardison: 72-68—140 (-2)
T47. Josh Cummins: 71-73—144 (+2)
T47. Gabriel Mainella: 73-71—144 (+2)
*Competed as an individual
UP NEXT:
The Lancers tee off at 8:30 this morning for the final round. Live stats are available on Scoreboard by Clippd.
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