Wilson Furr’s Second Round 64 Propels Alabama Men’s Golf into Top Spot Through 36 Holes of NCAA Stockton Regional
Freshman Wilson Furr carded a second round score of 8-under 64 on Tuesday to help the seventh-ranked Alabama men’s golf team vault into a tie for first overall at 14-under par 562 (282-280) after 36 holes of play at the 2018 NCAA Stockton Regional.
“I’m just really proud of our guys today,” Alabama head coach Jay Seawell said. “I thought the golf course played harder today because of the wind early in the day and then again later this afternoon. We were the low round of the day which is something we shoot for every time we play. Because of that, we are in a great position. We know what’s in front of us, and we need to play another great round (Wednesday).”
Furr collected nine birdies on the day, including six over the final nine holes, en route to setting the program’s lowest 18-hole score in an NCAA Championship event. It also tied for the fourth-lowest mark in a round in program history. It was just one stroke behind his season-best 63 during the second-round at the SEC Championships just three weeks ago.
The Jackson, Miss., native entered the day in 37th position after carding a 1-over par 73 on Monday’s opening round, but moved into a tie for fourth overall entering the final round of the three-day 54-hole event at 7-under par 137 (73-64). His 33-spot improvement was the largest by any individual in the field.
“Low scores like Wilson had today always help the team total,” Seawell said. “We are learning that once he gets under par, he likes to keep going, and that’s a great characteristic to have. It was great to see him shoot a 63 at last week’s SEC Championship and just as exciting with another terrific round today at the NCAA Regionals. I am proud of the way he played and how he is coming into his own in postseason competition.”
Alabama will enter Wednesday’s third and final round of the Regional in a tie for first overall with unranked Iowa State (562). Kansas (563), ranked No. 43 in the nation, is in third and just one stroke back of the co-leaders, while No. 18 Stanford (568) and No. 31 TCU (569) round out the top five.
Senior Jonathan Hardee and junior Davis Riley join Furr as the trio rank among the top-20 individuals after 36 holes. Hardee is in a tie for 16th with a 3-under par 141 (68-73), while Riley finished the day with a two-day total of 2-under 142 (72-70). Riley, who entered the regional ranked No. 21 in the nation, collected an eagle on the par 4, 415-yard 10th hole to highlight a 3-under par back nine. He now has recorded a team-leading 21 rounds this season of par or lower.
Freshman Davis Shore is in a tie for 23rd with a 1-under par 143 (69-74) on the par 72, 7,239-yard Reserve at Spanos Park layout. Senior Lee Hodges rounds out the Tide golfers in 58th overall with a 148 (75-73).
The top five teams and the top individual finisher not on an advancing team will move on to the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championship, which will be played at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla., on May 25-30.
Live scoring for this year’s tournament can be found at www.Golfstat.com.