KANNAPOLIS, N.C. — Through 36 holes on Monday, the ninth-ranked Catawba College men's golf team paces a field that includes nine Division I programs at the Irish Creek Intercollegiate hosted by Appalachian State.
Catawba is the lone team in the field of 11 with a below-par score, shooting a six-under 562 after two rounds on the par-71 course. The blue and white are eight shots ahead of second-place Troy, followed by Old Dominion and the host Mountaineers. Leading the way individually is Ilia Antoniadis by a three-stroke gap as ODU's Kaijun Ma stands in the No. 2 position ahead of a seven-way tie for third.
RESULTS
1. Ilia Antoniadis (136, -6)
T-10. Paul Esnault (141, -1)
T-13. Pranay Kapur (142, E)
T-16. Maxence Bonnet (143, +1)
T-27. Allan Lockwood (146, +4)
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Individuals
T-55. Alec Barker (151, +9)
63. Connor Carter (153, +11)
T-67. Ryan Masterton (155, +13)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Antoniadis posted one of the finest opening days in Catawba Men's Golf history, going 69-67 with a second round that included four birdies and no bogeys for the program's 10th-best round ever
- After an even-par opener and a shaky start to Round 2, Esnault flipped the script with four birds in his final eight holes of the day to lay down a 70 and rise into a share of 10th place
- Kapur recorded a consistent Day 1 with back-to-back 71s, opening the tournament with 16 pars and a birdie before dropping in four birds during the second 18 holes
- Bonnet aced No. 8 in the first round, marking his first collegiate hole-in-one, en route to a par start before closing Monday one shot above even to stand inside the top fifth of competitors
- Lockwood was one of four Catawba golfers to fire an even-par opening round highlighted by a one-under back nine and takes a four-over score into Tuesday's last 18 holes
UP NEXT
The final round at Irish Creek will commence with a shotgun start tomorrow at 9 a.m.
