Men's Golf | 4/22/2021 9:39:00 PM

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C.  Methodist's second-ranked men's golf team pulled into the clubhouse after 27 holes Thursday in second place at the 2021 USA South Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championship, just five shots behind the leaders from Piedmont College.

Scheduled originally as a three-day, 18 holes-per-day championship at Benvenue Country Club, expected bad weather for what would have been the third round on Saturday forced a preventive adjustment -- playing 27 holes on Thursday and the remaining 27 holes on Friday.

Three Monarch golfers were in the top 10 at the close of competition Thursday as Andre Chi and Henry Angier were tied for third place at 7-over par, and Cooper Hrabak was tied for ninth two shots back from his teammates.

THE ESSENTIALS
Event: 2021 USA South Men's Golf Championship
Host: North Carolina Wesleyan College
Course: Benvenue Country Club (Par 72, 6,525 yards)
Top teams: 1 – Piedmont (314, +26 Rd. 1; +29 after 27 holes), 2 – Methodist (318, +30 Rd. 1; +34 after 27 holes), 3 – Greensboro (314, +20 Rd. 1; +41 after 27 holes)
Individual leaders: 1 – Kevin Burris, Pfeiffer University (71, -1 Rd. 1; -2 after 27 holes), 2 – Ben Balen, Piedmont (76, +4 Rd. 1; +5 after 27 holes), Four golfers tied for 3rd place at 7-over par

ROUND 1.5 NOTES

• All teams began Round 1 on the first tee, and played their half-round beginning on No. 1 as well.
• The Monarchs were in fourth place after the opening 18 holes, four shots behind Piedmont and Greensboro College, and five back from Averett University.
• That half-round that followed significantly altered the leaderboard, though, as Piedmont came off No. 9 just 3 over and Methodist only 4 over on the front half, leaping Greensboro (+15) and Averett (+16).
• Chi (37-40-38—115, +7), named a First Team All-Conference performer on Wednesday, was a bit all over the place in the front nine of his opening 18. Though hitting the turn at just 1 over, his front half included three bogeys squeezed between a pair of birdies and four pars. Other than a rough pair of holes on Nos. 14 and 15 (played to +4), he registered pars on the other seven holes to close the official Round 1 at 5 over. That steadiness continued into the half round as he completed the front nine of Round 2 at 2 over after carding seven more pars and two bogeys.
• Angier (40-40-35—115, +7), a second-team all-conference player, struggled finding any rhythm over the first 18, striking for one birdie against five bogeys and two double-bogeys. His front half of Round 2 was a different story, however, as he was already 2 under after four holes, gave one back with a bogey on the 5th, then closed the front with four consecutive pars to hit the turn at 1 under.
• Hrabak (37-42-38—117, +9) was even with Chi on the front nine of Round 1, steadily rolling in par putts -- eight of them -- while surrendering only a bogey on the 4th. The league's Rookie of the Year faltered on the back nine with a 6 over to take a +7 into the front half of Round 2, which he found more to his liking as he concluded the half-round at just 2 over.
• Tied for 17th place on the individual leaderboard, and the fourth scoring golfer for the Monarchs, was Cameron Cappuzzo (41-41-37—119, +11). The sophomore was challenged by the course in the opening 18 holes, 5 over on both halves, and was 3 over after the first five holes of his half round. But a birdie on No. 6 triggered something and he closed the front nine of Round 2 with par, birdie, par to hit the turn at just 1 over.
• Senior Zane Brownrigg (49-40-39—128, +20) was happy to get the front half of his opening round behind him after earning just two pars and no birdies for a +13 front nine. The closing par there on No. 9 seemed to have helped as Brownrigg dropped in par putts on Nos. 10 and 11, added two more on the 14th and 15, and rolled in one more on No. 18. Though bogeying the opening two holes of his Round 2 front nine, he responded with his first birdie of the day on No. 3, sandwiched three pars and a bogey between it and another birdie on the 8th before surrendering to a double on the 9th to close the half round at just 3 over.

STAT STUFF

• Chi is the only golfer playing even par on the course's par 3s, finishing the day with a 3.00 average on the shorties.
• As a group, the Monarchs have made up ground on the par 3s, closing Thursday with a 3.37 average and at +11 to lead the field.
• Chi's 18 pars are tied for most in the field after 27 holes, while Angier's and Hrabak's 16 are tied for third most.
• Cappuzzo is the team leader in the birdies competition, tied for sixth most with four.

UP NEXT
The golfers will continue Round 2 with a morning start on the back nine Friday, and will then continue on to a concluding third round.