Kirk, Bulldogs Leading Linger Longer Invitational

GREENSBORO, Ga. Led by tournament co-leader Chris Kirk, the No. 1-ranked Georgia men's golf team established a three-shot lead in the Linger Longer Invitational on Sunday.

Playing two rounds at Reynolds Plantation's Oconee Course, the Bulldogs carded rounds of 15-under-par 273 and 2-under 286 for a total of 17-under 559. Georgia, which won the inaugural event in 2006, has its advantage over Florida State (562).

"I really liked the way we came out and played today, especially in the first round," Georgia coach Chris Haack said. "It's been about three weeks since we played in a tournament, so it was good to see our guys focused and ready to play. Hopefully we can keep it going for another round."

Kirk, a senior from Woodstock, is tied for first at 7-under 137. His total was matched by Chattanooga's Jonathan Hodge, Georgia State's Derek Oakley and Memphis' Ian Rochester.

Kirk paced the Bulldogs with a blistering first-round figure of 7-under 65. Kirk's loop included an eagle-2 on the par-4 fourth (a 385-yard hole) and five birdies, four on the back nine.

Sophomore Brian Harman added a 4-under 68 in the first round, and the Bulldogs also counted 2-under 70s from sophomore Adam Mitchell and freshman Hudson Swafford. Georgia's non-counting figure was a 1-over 73 from senior Brendon Todd.

In the second round, Mitchell carded a 3-under 69, followed by Kirk and Harman at even-par 72, Todd at 1-over 73 and Swafford at 2-over 74.

Mitchell's 5-under 139 has him tied for seventh, while Harman is tied for ninth at 4-under 140. Swafford is tied for 25th at even-par 144 and Todd is tied for 39th at 2-over 146.

The Bulldogs also have three players participating as individuals in the tournament. Sophomore Michael Green had rounds of even-par 72 and 5-over 77 to stand tied for 52nd at 5-over 149. Freshmen Jefferson Knox (80, 74) and Rob Bennett (82, 73) are tied for 68th at 10-over 154 and tied for 71st at
11-over 155, respectively.

The third round of the Linger Longer Invitational will be played on Monday, with live scoring available at golfstat.com. The Bulldogs then will compete in the NCAA East Regional Thursday through Saturday in Alpharetta.

University of Georgia Athletics

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