BOWLING GREEN, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern men's golf team let their 18-hole lead slip, yet despite their struggles on the back nine during Friday's second round of the NCAA South/Southeast Regional, the Sharks still have every opportunity in front of them. NSU (+10) sits just five shots back of current leader Columbus State, and just three outside of the Top-4, which will guarantee them a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championship.

INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT:
Tournament Standing: 6th of 16 teams
Tournament Leader: Columbus State
Location: Streamsong Resort | Bowling Green, Fla.
Par/Yardage: 72/7,139
Get Social: Twitter - @NSU_MGolf | Instagram - @NSU_MGolf | Facebook - /NSUGolfTeam

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Entering the second round with a two-stroke advantage, the Sharks stretched their lead to six at the turn on Friday. However, after posting a collective score of two-under par on the front nine, NSU shot 11-over par as a team on the back to fall into sixth place.
• Columbus State (+5) holds a narrow, one-shot edge over both Barry and Lee atop the leaderboard. The final round figures to be exciting, though, as the field's Top-10 teams are only separated by 10 strokes.
• The leader to begin the day, Joseba Torres was unable to replicate his opening-round 69, yet managed to hold onto a tie for 11^th after shooting one-under par over his final six holes. Torres sits at one-over par for the tournament.
• Similar to his round one performance, senior Tomas Millet entered the clubhouse on a high note following birdies on No. 14 and No. 17. Millet posted the round of the day for the Sharks, closing with his second straight (+1) 73 to move into a tie for 16^th overall.
• With the Sharks wavering down the stretch, Emanuel Olofsson provided a much-needed eagle on No. 17 to wrap up his round at (+2) 74. The sophomore is currently tied for 38^th at four-over par through 36 holes.
• Javier Calles opened at one-under par through his first 11 holes. The freshman couldn't maintain the momentum, though, ultimately finishing his second round with a score of (+3) 75. Like Olofsson, Calles finds himself tied for 38^th on the leaderboard.
• Victor Jimenez caught fire with three birdies throughout holes 6-9. However, the back nine didn't treat the senior quite as kindly, as Jimenez capped round two with a (+3) 75 and in a tie for 47^th at five-over par overall.

STATS OF THE DAY:

• NSU currently owns the field's second-best Par-5 scoring average (4.75), trailing only Georgia College (4.73).
• Millet has shot a combined five-under par on the Par-5's this week to lead the Sharks.
• Olofsson ranks tied for third in Par-3 scoring average (3.00).
• Overall, scoring conditions proved a bit easier on Friday, as the field shot an average of 74.07 compared to Thursday's average of 74.75.

BEYOND THE SCORECARD:

• Thanks to a pair of eagles in round two, Erskine's Alberto Avila has taken over as the individual leader at seven-under par, four shots better than Mount Olive's Olle Ryberg.
• Top-ranked West Florida fired the low round of the day of (-9) 279 to climb all the way from 15^th into fourth.

UP NEXT:
Playing alongside Georgia Southwestern and West Florida, NSU will tee off its final round from Streamsong Resort at 11:10 a.m. on Saturday. For live coverage, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com or follow the Sharks on Instagram or Twitter at @NSU_MGolf.
 
 

Sharks in 6⃣th through 2⃣ rounds of play, but just 5⃣ back of the lead!

Top-4⃣ will move on to the @NCAADII National Championship.#PrepareToDominate pic.twitter.com/FYGjV71MHJ

— NSU_MGolf (@NSU_MGolf) May 7, 2021