May 17, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Behind the play of Lee Williamson and Chris Mayson, the Purdue men's golf team shot a combined nine-under-par today to move into second place at the NCAA Central Regional hosted by Arkansas-Little Rock. The Boilermakers carded a 279, the lowest round of the tournament after 36 holes played at Pleasant Valley Country Club.
With a two-round score of 569 (-7), Purdue trails Oklahoma by one stroke heading into the final round. Oklahoma is third with a 577 (+1). Baylor and Toledo are tied for fourth with 578s (+2). Rounding out the top 10 are Kansas (579), Tulsa (579), N.C. State (580), Texas Christian (581), Illinois (583) and Virginia Tech (583).
Williamson and Mayson helped move the Boilermakers up three spots following the conclusion of the first round. Williamson, who was tied for fifth after the first 18 holes, shot a 67 with seven birdies and moved into first place with a two-day score of 137, seven under par.
"I wanted to help my team move up in the standings, so I knew I needed to have another solid round," Williamson said. "Things have come together for me the last two days. Hopefully I can close it out on a good note."
Mayson shaved three strokes off his previous career-low round in shooting a 65, moving from a 33rd-place tie to second. He birdied eight holes, including the first two and the last two, as well as the first three on the back nine.
"I got off to a very good start today and was able to sustain it," Mayson said. "I am glad I was able to play well and get a good score for my team."
Purdue head coach Devon Brouse recognized Williamson and Mayson's importance to the Boilermakers' move today.
"Those two really carried us," Brouse said. "Chris did everything well and Lee was very impressive."
Peter Karmis shot a one-over-par 73 but fell three places into a tie for 36th. Dustin Cone carded a 74 and is now tied for 58th. Shiv Kapur shot an 80. He is tied for 114th.
Due to a rain delay, a number of teams could complete only 15 holes on the second round. Those teams will play the last three holes beginning on Saturday, May 18 at 6:45 a.m. The final round will commence when those teams have finished their second rounds.
Purdue needs to finish in the top 10 of the 27-team field in order to qualify for the NCAA Championships that will be hosted by Ohio State from May 29 to June 1.
Brouse has the Boilermakers focused on making the cut, but also looking for more.
"Our primary goal is to advance, but we want to do our best," Brouse said. "It would be a feather in our cap to play well tomorrow and take that confidence into nationals."
PURDUE - NCAA CENTRAL REGIONAL RESULTSPlace Golfer Score1st Lee Williamson 70-67=137 (-7)2nd Chris Mayson 73-65=138 (-6)T36th Peter Karmis 73-73=146 (+2)T58th Dustin Cone 74-74=148 (+4)T114th Shiv Kapur 74-80=154 (+10)2nd TEAM 290-279=569 (-7)
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