WVU Golf Fourth, Williams T-5th at ECU

WVU Golf Fourth, Williams T-5th at ECU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (April 3, 2017) – Chris Williams is one of four Mountaineers in the top 25 as the West Virginia University golf team sits in fourth place after two rounds of play at the East Carolina Intercollegiate at Brook Valley Country Club in Greenville, North Carolina, on Monday.

Eleven teams are in the tournament. Here’s how they stand after two rounds:

1 Coastal Carolina +17
2 East Carolina +17
3 Maryland +21
4 West Virginia +23
5 Old Dominion +26
6 WKU +27
7 Georgetown +27
8 Florida Gulf Coast +28
9 High Point +30
10 Loyola MD +32
11 George Washington +49

Williams is tied for fifth place at four over par. He carded a pair of birdies in the first round, and added two more in the second to shoot 71-77=148. Alan Cooke, Avery Schneider and Max Sear join Williams in the top 25.

West Virginia is 23 over par and in fourth place after 36 holes. The Mountaineers shot 300-299=599 to sit six strokes back from leaders East Carolina and Coastal Carolina, who are tied with scores of 593 for 17 over par. Maryland is in third place at 21 over par with a score of 597.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalize on a strong start in round two,” WVU coach Sean Covich said. “We really wasted a lot of shots on the back nine late in the day – mostly on the greens, where we struggled with speed control. However, tomorrow’s a new day. I know these guys can finish strong. We need a good round tomorrow to climb the leaderboard.”

Cooke struggled through the first 18 holes, shooting a 78 for six over par. He rebounded to start the second round with four straight birdies, adding another on the back nine to finish one under par at 71. Cooke’s 36-hole total of 78-71=149 for five over leaves him tied for 11th place.

Playing as an individual, Schneider is a stroke behind Cooke and tied for 19th place with a two-round total of 76-74=150. He totaled four birdies in the first round before adding four more and an eagle in the second to finish the day six over par.

Sear is tied for 25th place as he enters the final round at seven over par. He tallied three birdies and an eagle on his way to a 36-hole total of 76-75=151.

Tristan Nicholls is tied for 33rd at 75-77=152. He is eight over par. Etienne Papineau is close behind at 10 over par, tying for 38th place through two rounds. He carded scores of 78-76=154.

Also playing as an individual, Drew Dewald is tied for 58th place at 78-80=158 for 14 over par.

The Mountaineers will tee off starting at 7:50 a.m. on Tuesday for the third and final round. They are paired with Old Dominion and Georgetown.

Live scoring is available through BirdieFire.

Follow @WVUSports and @WVUGolf on Twitter