WVU Golf’s Sharpstene Tied for Second at Ka’anapali

Sharpstene Tied for Second at Ka’anapali

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Nov. 3, 2018) – Sophomore Matthew Sharpstene continues to lead the way for the West Virginia University golf team as the Mountaineers capped day two of play at the Ka’anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational at the Royal Ka’anapali Course in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Saturday.

After shooting a record-low team round of 271 on Friday, No. 39 WVU finished at four-under-par with a 280 in Saturday’s action. The Mountaineers’ 36-hole total of 551 has them in fifth place at 17 under. No. 26 Cal holds the team lead at 27 under (541), followed by No. 27 North Florida at 24 under (544). No. 34 South Carolina and No. 16 Georgia are tied for third (-18, 550). The Mountaineers are currently in front of a pair of Big 12 foes, as No. 11 Oklahoma is sixth (-15, 553) and No. 32 Kansas is tied for ninth (-3, 565).

Sharpstene spent much of the day tied for first place overall, slipping into a tie for second as the day came to a close. He used four birdies and an eagle to fire a 68 for three-under-par in the round. His two-round total of 65-68=133 puts him at nine under overall and in a four-way tie for the runner-up spot.

“Today was a very important day for us as a team,” coach Sean Covich said. “It got windy out there today and last year, we folded in the wind. This year the guys showed a lot of grit and determination. I’m proud of the fight that they showed and we are going to need it again tomorrow if we want to finish this tournament on a strong note.”

Sophomore Mark Goetz birdied three straight at the turn, then added two more to shoot two-under-par with a 69 in the round, matching his first-round total. His 36-hole score of 69-69=138 has him tied for 20th place overall.

Senior Max Sear sits one stroke back from Goetz and tied for 25th overall at three under with a 139. After recording a 68 in the first round, Sear tallied five birdies, along with three bogeys and a double-bogey to end the round with an even-par 71.

Sophomore Logan Perkins had four birdies on the day before a triple bogey late in the round put him at one-over-par at 72. He sits at 69-72=141 and is tied for 32nd at one-under-par.

Junior Etienne Papineau is tied for 79th, shooting 71-75=146 for four over.

The Mountaineers will embark on the third and final round at 2 p.m. ET Sunday. They are paired with OU, Clemson and UCLA.

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via WVU Sports