FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. - The Swarthmore College men's golf team had an outstanding opening two rounds at the Fernandina Beach Collegiate on Monday. The Garnet currently sit in first overall, while setting program records for best 18-hole and 36-hole team scores.
Swarthmore carded a program record 278 (-10) to kick off the tournament. The mark bested the team's previous best round by five strokes, and beat the 36-hole total by 10 strokes. Both of the previous records were from the 2022-23 season.
Frank Zhou led the charge for the Garnet, currently sitting in second overall and four strokes off the individual lead. The rookie matched Dylan Zhang's program record for lowest 36-hole score, carding a 138 (-6) through two rounds.
The Garnet currently have three golfers inside the top-five. Zhang currently sits in third place at three-under-par, while Max Ash occupies fifth at two-under.
Swarthmore rose to its competition, holding a one-stroke advantage over No. 21 Transylvania heading into tomorrow's final round. The Garnet look to topple a top-25 opponent for the second-straight tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Zhou resides in second place at six-under-par after the opening two rounds of play. The rookie carded a season-best 68 (-4) in the first round, while finishing the day with a 70 (-1) in the second round. Zhou combined for eight birdies on the day, including five in the opening round. He matched the program's 36-hole record, and is tied for fourth all-time for the individual lowest round.
- Zhang trailed his teammate in third place after Monday's action, sitting at three-under-par. The senior matched Zhou's season-best with a 68 (-4) in the opening round. He then finished the day with a 73 (+1) to wrap up a strong afternoon. Zhang tallied six birdies and an eagle on the day.
- Ash was the third Garnet golfer inside the top-five, shooting a two-under-par to tie for fifth. The junior had an incredible start to the tournament with a 69 (-3) to open the day. Ash carded five birdies in the opening round, which included a stretch of four-straight on the back nine. He finished the second round with a 73 (+1), combining for nine birdies in both rounds, which tied for second most on the day. He produced his best collegiate 36-hole score and moved into the program's top-10, all-time with his opening round mark.
- Phillip Kim is tied for 11th overall at two-over-par. He opened the day with a 75 (+3), before finishing strong with a 71 (-1) in the second round. The rookie combined for seven birdies and matched his lowest round of the season.
- Phelps Wang tied for 25th overall to open the tournament. The junior carded a 73 (+1) and 78 (+6) to combine for seven-over-par. Wang totaled four birdies, including three to open play.
- Michael Yuen rounded out the Garnet competitors at 11-over-par, tying for 38th place. He shot a 76 (+4) and a 79 (+7), while tallying six birdies.
UP NEXT
The Garnet look to finish strong and retain their team lead in tomorrow's final round.
