University of Delaware Athletics
Matthias Leads Field, Blue Hens Tied For Fifth Place Following Second Day of CAA Men's Golf Tournament
4/28/2012 8:12:00 PM | Men's Golf
WILMINGTON, Del. -- Blue Hen senior Greg Matthias (at right) carded a three under par 68 on Saturday to take the individual lead while host University of Delaware moved into a tie for fifth place in the team standings following the second day of the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Men's Golf Championships.
Matthias tied for the lowest round of his career with his 68 on Saturday on the par 71, 7,043-yard South Course at Wilmington Country Club, and is two under par at 72-68-140 for the tournament. He will enter Sunday's final round with a two-shot lead over Marc Dobias of VCU, who is at even par with a 70-72-142. Jamison Randall of Old Dominion is five shots back at 75-70-145, while Kevin Yerks of George Mason and Tom Wilde of Old Dominion are each six strokes behind.
Delaware is just five strokes off the team lead heading into Sunday's final round. The Hens are looking to claim their first ever CAA men's golf title - and the automatic NCAA Tournament berth that goes with it - and their first conference crown since winning the America East title in 1997-98.
Matthias is hoping to become the first UD player to win a conference individual title since Justin Martinson won the title and automatic NCAA Tournament berth just two years ago in 2010.
Again starting on the 10th hole, Matthias opened his second round with a par and a bogey. But he quickly rebounded with five pars along with birdies on 15 and 17 to move to one under through the back nine.
Matthias then birdied 1, and following four pars, birdied 6 and 7 to move to four under for the round. After a bogey on 8, Matthias ended with a par to finish his round at 33-35-68, the only player to shoot in in the 60s on the day.
The Blue Hens also had the lowest team score of the day, firing a 289 which was the lowest total by Delaware during its spring season. UD moved up into a tie for fifth place in the team standings with a two-round score of 601, knotting the Blue Hens with VCU. UNCW leads the 11-team field at 596, Georgia State and Old Dominion are tied for second at 597, and George Mason is fourth at 600.
UD freshman Niño Rosal improved by nine shots during his second round, carding a one over par 72 on Saturday to jump up into a tie for 21st place with an 11 over par 81-72-153. Rosal began his second round on fire, recording four birdies and two pars to move to four under through 15.
Four pars and five bogeys dropped him to one over for the day, before a birdie on 7 moved him back to even during the round. Rosal then closed with a bogey and a par, concluding the round at 38-34-72.
Junior Ben Conroy posted a four-shot improvement during Saturday's round, carding a four over par 75 to finish the day in a tie for 25th place with a 12 over par 79-75-154. Three consecutive bogeys put Conroy three over par through 13, before he rebounded with nine straight pars. Conroy then sandwiched two pars and a birdie on 7 around a pair of bogeys, ending his day at 36-39-75.
Sophomore Dan Costenbader was the second Blue Hen to improve by nine strokes during the second round, as he fired a three over par 74 on Saturday to finish the day tied for 40th place with a 15 over par 83-74-157.
Costenbader had a strong back nine that featured eight pars and a birdie on 16, while another birdie on 1 moved him to two under for the day. Following a bogey and a triple bogey Costenbader responded with five consecutive pars, before a bogey on nine ended his round at 39-35-74.
Senior Stephen Scialo carded his second consecutive nine over par round of 80 on Saturday, ending the day in a tie for 49th place with an 18 over par score of 80-80-160. Scialo was four over par through 13, before four straight pars and a bogey on 18 put him five over through the back nine. Scialo then posted his lone birdie of the day at 1, and after a bogey and a triple bogey, bounced back to record five pars and a bogey the rest of the way to finish the day at 39-41-80.
The CAA Championships conclude on Sunday with a 9 a.m. start at the Wilmington Country Club.
Players Mentioned
