2017 Championship Central
TEAM STANDINGS •
PLAYER STANDINGS
Photo Gallery
MCKINNEY, Texas – While it was a day for lost balls and well-over-par performances for most, Blake Elliot led a McNeese charge to the top on a windy second round at the 2017 Southland Championship. The defending champion Cowboys overtook Southeastern Louisiana for the top team spot entering the final round on Wednesday.
Elliot shot a 71 (-1) to pace McNeese and comfortably lead the player field. He now sits tied for first place individually along with Nicholls junior Albert Badosa-Soler. Both have shot 147 total through two rounds.
As the wind picked up at Stonebridge Ranch, most players struggled to find their lines on the fairway, with 29 out of 50 players shooting 80 or worse on the day. Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin both improved one spot from day one, while Sam Houston State fell two spots to fifth place. Central Arkansas also jumped one spot, moving into a tie for fifth place with Houston Baptist.
While McNeese had three players at 80-plus on the day, they were buoyed by Elliot’s performance as well as freshman Daniel O’Loughlin, who vastly improved on his opening round score of 83, notching a 74 in today’s tough conditions – including an eagle on hole three. O’Loughlin now sits tied for 19
th place.
Southeastern Louisiana was unable to get a similar performance from round one leader James Anstiss, who shot an 80 in round two after posting a 70 on Monday. Joris Etlin and William Meyers led the Lions with scores of 78 each. James Anstiss slipped to fourth in the player standings (150) while Paul Obermann now sits at eighth (153).
Nicholls got another solid outing from Badosa-Soler, who shot a 75 to move into a tie for first place with Blake Elliot. Jack Lee was right behind with a 76; he is fifth in the player standings after two rounds. The returning 2016 Freshman of the Year overcame a challenging back nine with seven-straight pars to open his front nine of round two.
Stephen F. Austin did their best to remain within striking distance behind the efforts of Blake Stock and Major Monzingo. The standout pair both heavily improved after two disappointing first-round outings; Stock shot a 73 after an 81 score on Monday while Monzingo registered a 73 down from a first-round 87. Both players moved up 18 spots in the player standings, with Stock now tied for ninth and Monzingo tied for 25
th.
Houston Baptist’s Val Almendarez also remained consistent through today’s tough weather, scoring a 75 to move into sole possession of third place heading into the final found. The Huskies sit tied for sixth as a team with Central Arkansas.
As a cold front moves into the Dallas-Fort Worth region tonight, lower temperatures and more challenging winds can be expected for the final round of the championship on Wednesday.
Round three begins tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. For pairings, results, photos, live scoring and more, visit our
championship homepage.
STANDINGS (After Round Two)
| Pos. |
Team |
To Par |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Total |
| 1. |
McNeese |
+32 |
302 |
306 |
608 |
| 2. |
Southeastern Louisiana |
+35 |
295 |
316 |
611 |
| 3. |
Nicholls |
+42 |
309 |
309 |
618 |
| 4. |
Stephen F. Austin |
+44 |
313 |
307 |
620 |
| 5. |
Sam Houston State |
+45 |
307 |
314 |
621 |
| T6. |
Central Arkansas |
+52 |
316 |
312 |
628 |
| T6. |
Houston Baptist |
+52 |
314 |
314 |
628 |
| 8. |
Abilene Christian |
+72 |
325 |
323 |
648 |
| 9. |
New Orleans |
+91 |
330 |
337 |
667 |
| 10. |
UIW |
+102 |
339 |
339 |
678 |