May 15, 2009
NCAA Regional results and Saturday tee times
SORRENTO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After battling back and forth for the lead throughout second round on Friday, the UCF men's golf team will take a two-shot lead over Arizona into Saturday's final round of the NCAA Southeast Regional at RedTail Golf Club. The Knights followed their opening round 16-under par 268 with a seven-under 277 on Friday for a two-day total of 545 (-23).
Also firing a 277 on Friday, Arizona sits in second place at 547 (-21) while Georgia (557, -11) and Charlotte (558, -10) are third and fourth respectively. South Carolina and Kentucky are in a tie for fifth at 560 (-8). The top five teams and one individual not on those squads at the regional will advance to the NCAA Championship, which is set for Toledo, Ohio, in late May.
Senior David Johnson (Palm Bay, Fla.) recovered from a double-bogey on the ninth hole to fire a three-under 33 on the back nine and finish the day with a 68 (-3). The round followed his five-under 66 on Thursday to put Johnson in second place overall with a two-day total of 134 (-8).
With a bogey-free 33 on the back nine, junior Simon Ward (County Monagahn, Ireland) led UCF on Friday with a four-under par 67. The C-USA newcomer of the year vaulted into a tie for seventh place with a two-day total of five-under par (70-67=137).
Freshman Brad Schneider (Valrico, Fla.), junior Devin Spies (Sarasota, Fla.) and freshman Blayne Barber (Lake City, Fla.) each carded even-par rounds of 71 on Friday. Schneider (66-71=137) is tied with Ward in a tie for seventh while Spies (67-71=138) is a shot back in a tie for 11th. Barber (69-71=140) is the fifth Knight in the top 20, sitting in a tie for 20th.
Arizona's Tarquin MacManus carded six birdies and increased his lead on the field to five shots. MacManus has 14 birdies and just one bogey through two rounds (63-65-128).
The Knights will again be grouped with Arizona for Saturday's final round and the two schools will be joined by Georgia. Barber will be the first Knight to tee off at 9:10 a.m. while Johnson and the final group will go off the first tee at 9:50 a.m.
UCF is hosting the event along with the Central Florida Sports Commission. In April, the Knights claimed the Conference USA Championship at the site, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals. Ward claimed medalist honors, followed by Barber in second.
The final round will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Live statistics will be available at Golfstat.com.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Team Leaders
1. UCF 268-277=545 (-23)
2. Arizona 270-277=547 (-21)
3. Georgia 282-275=557 (-11)
4. Charlotte 273-285=558 (-10)
T5. South Carolina 273-287=560 (-8)
T5. Kentucky 281-279=560 (-8)
UCF Individuals
2. David Johnson 66-68=134 (-8)
T7. Simon Ward 70-67=137 (-5)
T7. Brad Schneider 66-71=137 (-5)
T11. Devin Spies 67-71=138 (-4)
T21. Blayne Barber 69-71 = 140 (-2)