Rough start carries through to the finish as Tech slips to ninth

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. -- Things didn't start well for the Tennessee Tech men's golf team on Tuesday in the second round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament, with all five players marking bogeys and double bogeys through most of the first few holes.

After opening the day tied for fifth through the first round, the Golden Eagles slipped to ninth place by the end of play in the second round. The final round gets underway Wednesday morning at The Shoals on the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail.

Senior Greyson Painter, the team's top scorer all season, wound up as the team leader through 36 holes after shooting 79 Tuesday, placing him 26th with a 155 total.

Senior Wes Korth also shot 79 Tuesday, and is tied for 27th place at 156. Also tied with Korth is sophomore Tyler Cassetty, Tech's first round leader with a 75. Cassetty shot 81 on Tuesday for his 156. Jared Dunn is at 81-82--163 and tied for 38th, while Jake Heatherly is at 84-85--169 and tied for 42nd place.

Murray State continues to set the pace in the team standing, adding a 296 to the 289 posted on Monday, and giving the Racers a five-shot edge on defending champion Austin Peay (590). Host Jacksonville State is in third place, nine shots off the pace at 594, followed by Morehead State (598), Eastern Kentucky (600), Tennessee State (615), UT Martin (621), Eastern Illinois (627) and Tech (630).

The individual leaders heading into Tuesday's play are Jacksonville State's Gonzalo Berlin (74-68) and Morehead State's Lee Chaney (75-67), tied for the lead at 142.