AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Oklahoma State senior Kevin Tway tied three tournament records Saturday and the Cowboys mastered extremely tough playing conditions during the first two rounds of the Insperity Augusta State Invitational at Forest Hills Golf Club.
Top-ranked OSU carded the low score in each round (277-279) to open up a 10-shot lead over Tennessee heading into Sunday's third and final round. The Volunteers were the only other team to post two sub-par rounds (282-284) among the 17-team field on a day that featured steady winds and sustained gusts of up to 30 mph.
Clemson (279-296), which began the second round just two strokes off the lead, is in third place, 18 shots back of the Cowboys. Alabama (283-297) is fourth at four-over par, two shots clear of the host Jaguars and second-ranked UCLA.
"We made some birdies there late down the stretch and it was nice to finish that round off the way we did" said Cowboys' head coach Mike McGraw. "I didn't think we had an 8-under in our bag when the day started. I was thrilled that we were able to play the ball down. That's the way you want to play with a tournament of this caliber."
Tway fired an opening-round, 8-under 64 and matched the tournament record for the low round overall and the low first round. He stood at 1-over in his afternoon round before closing with birdies on No. 15 and No. 18 and an eagle at the par-5 17th. From 207 yards, Tway launched a 6-iron to eight feet and drained the putt for an eagle and after his birdie on 18, he tied the tourney mark for the low 36-hole score (11-under 133), equaled most recently by ASU's Patrick Reed in 2010.
"Today was one of those days where everything just seemed to go right," Tway said. "It was tough to judge the wind out there but I hit a lot of fairways and greens and that really helped, We are in a nice position going into tomorrow and it'll be a good opportunity for this team."
Three other Cowboys joined Tway in the top 10. Sean Einhaus, a member of last season's NCAA Championship runnerup squad, notched rounds of 69-70 and is alone in third at 5-under 139. Drew Page and Talor Gooch are tied for fifth and ninth at 3-under 141 and 1-under 143, respectively.
"That was as fine a round of golf as has been played on this golf course," ASU head coach Josh Gregory said of Tway's effort. "To post a number like that in these conditions is remarkable. Oklahoma State proved today why they're the number one team in the country."
The No. 6 Jaguars, who have won back-to-back Insperity ASU Invitational titles, notched a pair of 3-over 291's. Seniors Henrik Norlander (72-72) and Mitch Krywulycz (71-73) are tied for 13th at even-par 144. Freshman Alex Wennstam (72-77) and senior Carter Newman (76-73) are tied for 45th at 5-over 149. Reed (77-73) is 54th at 6-over 150 (77-73).
Tway will enter the final round with a four-shot advantage over Tennessee freshman Danny Keddie (66-71). Lamar's MJ Daffue (70-70) is fourth, a single stroke back of OSU's Einhaus. The Cowboys' Page (72-69), Tennessee's Garrick Porteous (68-73) and Alabama freshman Cory Whitsett (69-72) are tied for fifth
The ASU "B" team of seniors Olle Bengtsson and Jacob Carlsson, juniors Taylor Floyd and Brendan Gillins and redshirt freshman Shawn Yim is eighth at 8-over 584. Bengtsson fashioned the low round of the day -- a 5-under 67 -- by any ASU player and is the low Jaguar at 2-under 142 (75-67). Yim turned in rounds of 73 and 75 in his collegiate debut. Floyd managed rounds of 76-73 and is tied for 45th along with Gillins, who bounced back with a 2-under 70 in the afternoon. Carlsson signed for 75-81 and is tied for 77th.
The third and final round gets underway Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m., off the first and 10th tee with the last group of leaders slated for an 11:06 a.m., start time.
The Jags, who will be paired with Alabama and Tennessee, hit the course at 9:45 a.m. Reed leads off for ASU and will be followed by Newman, Wennstam, Krywulycz and Norlander. Carlsson is first off for the Jags' "B" team at 9:00 a.m., followed by Gillins, Floyd and Yim, with Bengtsson anchoring the squad at 9:36. The Jags will be paired with Coastal Carolina and Illinois.
Complete, full-field results of the Insperity ASU Invitational are available at www.golfstat.com and www.jaguarsroar.com/sports/mgolf/2010-11/insperity/results.
NOTES … The 2011 Insperity ASU Invitational field includes four of the top six and five of the top 11 teams in the nation, according to the latest Golfstat rankings … Seven of the top 10 individuals, 10 of the nation's top 50 teams and 14 of the top 30 individuals are also in action … Oklahoma State's Tway tied the 18-hole record for lowest round with an 8-under 64 in the first round … He registered six birdies and an eagle on the par-5, 540-yard ninth hole … Tway's round matched the efforts of Roberto Diaz (USC Aiken in 2009), Oliver Wilson (Augusta State in 2003), D. J. Trahan (Clemson in 2003, Nicholas Thompson (Georgia Tech in 2003), Bill Haas (Wake Forest in 2001) and Stuart Smith (Tennessee in 1981) … Tway's round also equaled Diaz and Haas for the low first round in the tournament's 33-year history … Clemson's Alex Boyd, a junior from Augusta who is playing as an individual, carded a double-eagle on the par-5, 557-yard No. 17 in the first round and posted a 3-under 69 … Georgia Southern's Will Evans, a freshman from McDonough, Ga., recorded a double-eagle in the second round with a two on the par-5, 540-yard ninth hole … Evans holed out for a two with a hybrid from 242 yards … Tennessee entered the tournament ranked No. 36 in the nation while Clemson entered at No. 31, according to the latest Golfstat rankings as of March 30 … Oklahoma State last competed in the Insperity ASU Invitational in the Spring of 2003 … The Cowboys tied for third that year with Wake Forest … Tennessee and Alabama, who were third and fourth after the first round, are coached by two former Augusta State head coaches -- Jim Kelson (1994-98) and Jay Seawell (1998-2002), respectively … The 2011 Insperity ASU Invitational marks the 33rd edition of the tournament ... This year's event marks the seventh year of Insperity's affiliation with the tourney and the third year of the event since its return to historic Forest Hills Golf Club ... Augusta State has won eight of the last 11 Insperity ASU Invitational titles ... In 2010, the Jags set a new tournament record for the lowest 54-hole total with a 47-under 817 ... With a 274-270 start in the first two rounds … ASU also obliterated the previous 36-hole record by seven strokes … Formerly known as Administaff, Insperity recently unveiled a new name and brand identity … Insperity began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under its new ticker symbol, NSP, on March 9 … Founded in April, 1986, Insperity provides a wide range of business performance solutions that enable business owners to be more systematic and strategic about the role that people play in the success of a company … With 1,900 corporate employees, Insperity operates 58 locations in the United States and reported $1.7 billion in revenues in 2010.
