Sept. 17, 2012
36-Hole Results
By Gary Petit (@GaryWFU), Wake Forest Athletic Communications
BURLINGTON, Iowa - Wake Forest freshman Davis Womble made an eagle at the par-5 18th to cap-off a stellar 3-under 69 in the second round of the Golfweek Conference Challenge on Monday. That round helped the Demon Deacons post a 7-under 281 and move into second place through two rounds.
Womble, who is making his Demon Deacon debut this week, made a bogey on his first hole of the day but rebounded with birdies on Nos. 2 and 6 to post an opening nine 35. He then birdied both 10 and 11 to get to 3-under for the round but fell back with back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 13 and 14. After three pars, he chipped-in on the par-5 18th for eagle to post a 3-under 69. The 69 is tied for the lowest round by a Demon Deacon this season and it moves him into a tie for 8th at 1-under par.
"Davis (Womble) played beautifully today," said Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas. "He's a very smart player and he's comfortable out here. He knows how to hit shots and he's not afraid to hit them in competition. He's also got a real nice demeanor with the group. I'm very pleased with how he's played so far."
For the second-straight day, the Demon Deacons tore up the opening nine. Wake make a total of nine birdies and an eagle to go out in 7-under par. A couple of loose shots midway through the back nine dropped them back to 5-under for the day but two birdies and an eagle on the final hole helped them come home in even par to post a second round of 7-under 281. Behind three players in the top-8, the Demon Deacons are 1-under par for the tournament and trail first round leader Missouri by just three shots.
"We closed out the round much better today," said Haas. "I think we played the final three holes at 3-under par and that was the difference from yesterday. Even just a tournament and a half into the season, I can tell this is going to be a very good group. For whatever reason, it just didn't happen last year but this group is different. They work so hard it and I can tell we're going to be much better this season."
Junior Thomas Birdsey carded his second-consecutive round of 2-under 70 on Monday. He made a pair of birdies on each nine to counter just two bogeys. He has a total of seven birdies through the two rounds and is just three shots off the lead at 4-under par.
"Thomas played really well today but just didn't get much out of his round," Haas said. "He hit the ball well on the front and then really battled well coming home in some tough conditions. He had to layup on the last but hit a great shot in there to about 12 feet and poured the putt right in the heart. He's playing well and I think he's going to have a good day tomorrow."
After starting 5-under through the first four holes on Sunday, senior Charlie Harrison got off to the same start on Monday, going 5-under through the first six holes. He eagled the second hole and would make the turn in 3-under 33 both days. On Monday, he birdied the par-5 10th and then doubled the par-4 11th to drop back to 2-under for the round. The Atlanta, Ga., native then pared the final seven holes to finish with a 2-under 70. For the 36-holes, Harrison has made eight birdies and two eagles and he stands in a tie for 8th at 1-under par.
Senior Evan Beck started his round on Monday with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 1 and 2 to quickly jump to 2-under par. He would eventually make the turn at 1-under and would get back to 2-under for the day after a birdie at No. 12. But a double-bogey at No. 13 followed by a bogey at No. 14 dropped him to 1-over par for the round. He birdied the par-4 16th and made a couple of solid pars at the final two holes to post an even-par 72. Beck is 5-over par through two rounds and in a tie for 28th.
Junior Beau Cutts, who opened with a tough round of 84 on Sunday, bounced-back with a solid 72 on Monday. He went out in 1-over 37 but made three birdies on the final nine, including one on the par-5 18th to come home in 1-under 35.
The Demon Deacons will be in the final grouping on Tuesday with Missouri and Tulsa. The final round will begin with an 9:30 a.m. EST shotgun start. Fans can follow the final round on Golfstat.com.
