Feb. 27, 2006
NAPLES, Fla. -
Junior Matt Miller continued his solid play, firing a second-round six-under-par 66 and finishing day one tied for third-place with a two-round total of five-under-par 139 (73, 66) and one shot off the lead at the 2nd annual Lexus Naples Intercollegiate hosted by PGA Tour professional Peter Jacobsen Monday at the Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club in Naples, Fla. Senior Kris Wildenradt also fired a first-round two-under-par 70 , tied for 11th with a two-round total of 144 (70, 74).
The `Birds finished the day in fourth-place, shooting a two-round total of 578 (294, 284) and 12 shots off the lead.
Head coach Ray Kralis felt that the winds in the morning had an effect on the first-round scoring, but was pleased with the way the `Birds were able to rebound in the second-round.
"There were obviously a lot of positives for us today," said Kralis. "The wind was strong in the morning, and it was tough for scoring. I was pleased with the way the team responded in the second-round and I think it helped our confidence heading into the final-round."
Senior Chris Eddy fired a second-round one-under-par 71 and finished tied for 21st with a two-round total of 148 (77, 71). Senior Matt Maskel fired a two-round total of 154 (74, 80), finishing tied for 40th with Redbird teammate Ben Murphy who also shot a two-round total of 154 (81, 73).
No. 19 Wake Forest and No. 20 Baylor finished day one tied for the lead, five shots ahead of Florida State after shooting a team total of 566. Baylor's Ryan Baca (68, 70) and Wake Forest's Kyle Reifers (66, 72) finished tied for first-place with a two-round total of 138.
The `Birds finished the day ahead of "tradition rich" Midwestern schools Notre Dame (fifth-place), Wisconsin (sixth-place) and Ohio State (tenth-place). Kralis feels that the `Birds will need to stay focused to hold off a final-round push from the Midwestern teams.
"Going into tomorrow, we will need to stay confident," said Kralis. "We need to be able to take care of things that are in our control, and work the process all day long. I know the tradition rich schools of Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Ohio State would like to move up in the standings. If we can stay focused, we will take a step in the right direction."
The Redbirds resume play on Tuesday beginning at 8:00 a.m. for the final 18 holes of the tournament.
