by Loudon, Tenn. – Defending NCAA champion Hiroshi Tai shot a 4-under-par 66 on Saturday as 11th-ranked Georgia Tech shot a 1-under-par 279 and the Yellow Jackets moved up two spots to eighth after 36 holes at Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
The Singapore junior moved into the individual top 10, while freshman Albert Hansson (Fiskebäckskil, Sweden) also broke par with a 69 (-1) at the par 70 at Tennessee National Golf Club. Tai finished 36 holes at 137 (-3) and is six shots back of the leader, while the Yellow Jackets (564, +4) are 28 shots back of leader Ole Miss (536, -24).
The final round of the 54-hole event will begin at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
TECHNOLOGY – Tai played flawless golf, making four birdies, all on par-4 holes, to reach his 66, while Hansson shot a 69 with three birdies and two bogeys. Hansson is tied for 25th at 140 par.
Redshirt junior Benjamin Reuter (Naarden, Netherlands) shot a 70 for the Yellow Jackets on Saturday, and sophomore Carson Kim (Yorba Linda, Calif.) added a 4-over-par 74 to Tech’s total. First-round leader Aidan Tran (Fresno, Calif.) shot a 77.
Reuters is tied for 50th individually at 144 (+4), with Tran tied for 59th at 146 (+6) and Kim tied for 69th at 148 (+8).
TEAM STANDINGS – Ole Miss (-13) and LSU (-11) both posted double-digit under-par scores Saturday and swapped positions atop the standings. The Rebels, 24 under par after 36 holes, lead the Tigers (-23) by one shot heading into Sunday’s final round.
Host Tennessee (-10) sits a distant third, followed by South Carolina (-8) and South Florida (-2).
Mississippi State (+1) is in sixth place, followed by Charlotte (+2), Tech (+4), Charleston (+5) and Indiana (+6) to round out the top 10 of 16 teams.
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS – LSU’s Algot Kleen shot a 5-under-par 65 and Ole Miss’ Cameron Tankersley shot a 4-under-par 66 Saturday to hold the top two spots in the medal race. Kleen (9-under-par 131), a former East Tennessee State player, has a one-shot lead over Tankersley (-8 132). LSU’s Matthew Dodd-Berry is in third at -7 133.
First-round leader Jake Peacock of USF, Kyle Meeks of Ole Miss and Lance Simpson of Tennessee are tied for fourth at 6-under-par 134. Michael La Sasso of the Rebels, Jackson Herrington of the Volunteers and Garrett Endiciott of Mississippi State are tied for seventh at 4-under-par 136.
Seven players, including Tech’s Tai, are tied for 10th at 137 (-3).
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION – The Visit Knoxville Collegiate is being played for the second time and the Yellow Jackets are making their first appearance. Tennessee hosts the 16-team event, which runs 54 holes starting Friday and concluding Sunday at Tennessee National Golf Club, which plays to a par 70 and measures 7,280 yards.
Participating teams are Charlotte, Cincinnati, College of Charleston, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, North Florida, Penn State, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. Tennessee (7), Tech (11) and Ole Miss (13) are among the top 25 teams in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches poll, while four other teams received votes.
