May 20, 2005

NASHVILLE, TN - Paced by junior Kyle Reifers and sophomore Sean Moore, Wake Forest shot under par for the second straight day and leads the NCAA Men's Golf East Regional after 36 holes.

 

With just 18 holes remaining on Saturday, the Demon Deacons are in ideal position to qualify for the June 1-4 NCAA Championship near Baltimore. The top 10 teams from the 27-team East Regional will advance.

 

Wake Forest, 14-under par for the tournament, leads a trio of Southeastern Conference powers. Florida, which shot a sizzling 270 today, is in second place at 11-under, three strokes behind the Demon Deacons. Georgia and Tennessee are tied for third at 10-under.

 

Reifers followed his opening-round 65 with a 2-under 69 today, making him 8-under par for the tournament. He is tied for third place, three strokes behind leader Rhys Davies of East Tennessee State. Duke's Michael Schachner is in second place at 10-under.

 

Deacon sophomore Sean Moore is in eighth place with a 67-68--135 (7-under) on the par 71 Golf Club of Tennessee course. Freshman Chris McCartin is tied for 24^th with a 1-under 68-73--141. Webb Simpson, the ACC Freshman of the Year, is tied for 48^th with a 2-over 71-73--144. Junior Doug Manchester is 6-over par after shooting a 72-76--148.

 

While Wake Forest is in a comfortable position, the Deacons still have work remaining. Only 16 strokes separate Wake from the 11^th-place team, Georgia Southern. The Deacons have never won an NCAA regional and the Deacons are looking for their first tournament win since the spring of 2003.

 

Team Standings

Wake Forest                271-283--554 (-14)

Florida                         287-270--557 (-11)

Georgia                        275-283--558 (-10)

Tennessee                    282-276--558 (-10)

Duke                            287-272--559 (-9)

 

Individual Leaders

Rhys Davies, ETSU      66-65--131 (-11)

Michael Schachner, Duke         69-63--132 (-10)

Kyle Reifers, WFU       65-69--134 (-8)

Matt Every, Florida      71-63--134 (-8)

Dustin Johnson, Coastal Carolina          65-69--134 (-8)

Ross McGowan, Tennessee      66-68--134 (-8)

Brendon Todd, Georgia            66-68--134 (-8)

 

Wake Forest Scorers

Kyle Reifers     65-69--134 (-8)

Sean Moore     67-68--135 (-7)

Chris McCartin 68-73--141 (-1)

Webb Simpson 71-73--144 (+2)

Doug Manchester         72-76--148 (+6)