Newberry Men’s Golf Moves Up To Ninth After Second Round Of NCAA Division II National Tournament

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. - The Newberry College men's golf team cut 10 strokes from their first round score to card a 10-over par 298 Tuesday in the second round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament at the Fighting Joe course of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at the Shoals. The Wolves are tied for ninth with Barton College entering the third round on Wednesday.

The jump of five positions by the Wolves is made all the more important with the new tournament format this season. Following the third round Wednesday, the top eight teams will advance to a bracket, where medal match play will determine the national team champion.

The key to Newberry's improvement Tuesday was a much better performance on the back nine of the course. The Wolves were 15 over par on those nine holes Monday, but were only 9-over on Tuesday.

Chandler Gruenemeier (Jacksonville, Fla.) rebounded from a rough performance of 9-over on Monday with an even par 72 in the second round. After three bogeys and a birdie in his first five holes, Gruenemeier carded two birdies and 11 pars to close out his round, including pars on the final seven holes. He is tied for 43rd place individually with a 9-over par 153 after two rounds.

Daniel Stanley (Inman, S.C.) is also tied for 43rd individually after two rounds and fired a 2-over par 74 on Tuesday.

Ben Lown (North Augusta, S.C.) fired a 3-over par 75 in Tuesday's round, and is the team leader as he is tied for 32nd individually with a 7-over par 151.

SAC Player of the Year, Matthew Campbell (Rome, N.Y.), started his round off on the wrong foot with two double bogeys on the first four holes, but was only 1 over par the rest of the way to finish with a 5-over par 77. The highlight of the day was Campbell's 50-foot chip in to record a birdie on the par 3 fifth hole after nearly hitting his tee shot in the water. Campbell is tied for 38th individually with an 8-over par 152 thus far. Matthew Killen (Yorkshire, England) shot a 7-over par 79 today and is ranked 71st individually with an 13-over par 157.

Lynn University continues to lead the competition with a 6-over par 582 through two rounds. Only 11 strokes separate spots five through 11 in the tournmament, making Wednesday's third round even more interesting for the teams vying to finish in the top eight.

The Wolves will tee off beginning at 12:50 p.m. central time, starting on the back nine. Newberry will be in groups with players from the University of Hawai'i-Hilo, which is in eighth place, and Indiana (Pa.) University, which is in seventh place.

Hole-by-hole live scoring: http://www.ncaa.com/content/mens-dii-golf-leaderboard

NCAA Division II Championships
Robert Trent Jones Trail at the Shoals - Fighting Joe
Par 72 - 7150 Yards

Top Ten Team Results (Through 2nd Round)
Rank Team 1st Rd. 2nd Rd. Total Par
1. Lynn 291 291 582 +6
2. Cal State-Monterey Bay 294 293 587 +11
3. Abilene Christian 298 292 590 +14
4. Central Missouri 296 297 593 +17
5. Fort Lewis 296 301 597 +21
6. Central Oklahoma 295 303 598 +22
7. Indiana (Pa.) 307 294 601 +25
8. Hawai'i-Hilo 301 301 602 +26
9. Barton 299 307 606 +30
9. Newberry 308 298 606 +30

Newberry Individuals

1st Rd. 2nd Rd. Total Par
Ben Lown Lynn 76 75 151 +7
Matthew Campbell 75 77 152 +8
Chandler Gruenemeir 81 72 153 +9
Daniel Stanley 79 74 153 +9
Matthew Killen 78 79 157 +13