CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Stanford went from standing on the curb to manning the steering wheel after a phenomenal second round at the NCAA Regional Men’s Golf Championships on Friday.
The Cardinal followed its 2-over-par 290 and seventh-place showing in round one with a 13-under 275 -- including four scores in the red to sit atop the leaderboard heading into the final day of the 54-hole event.
First-place Stanford is one shot ahead of UNC Charlotte (-1) and five shots clear of third-place Florida State (-6). The next best score on the day behind Stanford’s was McNeese State’s 4-under.
“I’m proud of the way the guys played today,” said Conrad Ray, Stanford’s Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. “The breeze was down and to get off to a good start one through five, it really helped us. We talked about playing boring golf today, hitting a lot of greens and two-putting a lot and taking our birdie opportunities when we can get them.
“You can’t slow down with this field. You have to put the gas pedal down. We’ve been in this position before, both on the other side of it and leading, so they will handle themselves and believe that every putt you make now is one you don’t have to make later. That is the adage we will take.”
National player of the year candidate Maverick McNealy was on fire with five birdies during a bogey-free front nine. He had two birdies and as many bogeys on his back nine to finish with a 5-under 67. McNealy moved up 11 spots in the individual race, one shot behind clubhouse leader J.T. Poston (-8) of Western Carolina.
McNealy relied on his steady putter and made a 15-footer on 14 for a birdie, a three-footer for birdie on 15, and then a 20-footer on 17.
“I woke up today and felt great,” McNealy said. “Everything was working and I putted great from the start. It wasn’t that pretty coming in, but I feel so much better today physically, and I got a lot of rest yesterday, and I think it’s the biggest difference … And I think I’ll feel even better tomorrow.
“I hit a great shot to about seven feet on four, and (David) Boote was on the other fairway, giving me a little clap and a tip of the hat. I knew he was playing well. It is fun to see your teammates out there and playing well.”
Boote’s 4-under 68 included five birdies, three of which came on the final four holes. Boote is tied for 15th along with Franklin Huang, who was even through 10 and finished 3-under on the day.
Viraat Badhwar punched in four birdies during a 1-under 71 performance, and Jeffrey Swegle was even.
Each of Stanford’s five student-athletes is among the top 32 individuals in the 75-person field.
The top five teams and low individual outside those five teams will advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be played at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
The NCAA Chapel Hill Regional at Finley Golf Course concludes with the third and final round on Saturday. Stanford tees off at 5:45 a.m. (PT) with live results available at GoStanford.com.
