Liberty University’s men’s golf team dropped to fifth place at the Conference USA Men’s Golf Championship on April 28 after the second round at Texarkana Country Club.
The change in position means Liberty will need a strong performance in the final round of stroke play to secure a spot among the top four teams and advance to match play. Only the top four teams move forward, with two rounds of match play set to determine the overall champion on Thursday.
Liberty posted a 2-under par score of 286 for an overall total of 6-under par 570 (284-286). Despite this under-par performance, several other teams improved their scores as course conditions became more favorable. The average score for round two was lower than round one, allowing Western Kentucky University and Middle Tennessee State University to surpass Liberty in the standings. WKU carded an 8-under par 280 while MTSU posted a tournament-best 10-under par 278.
UTEP continues to lead with a combined score of 26-under par (550), followed by New Mexico State at 20-under (556). WKU is now third at nine under (567), three shots ahead of Liberty, while MTSU sits just one shot ahead in fourth place at seven under (569). Kennesaw State remains close behind Liberty in sixth place with five under (571), leaving four teams within four shots vying for two spots in match play.
Seniors Josh Ryan and Ike Joy both recorded sub-par rounds Tuesday, each shooting a one-under-par-71. Ryan is tied for tenth individually at three under overall, while Joy is tied for thirtieth at one over. The rest of Liberty’s starting five include Silas Haarer and Luke Libbey, both tied for twenty-fifth at even par, and Michael Lugiano tied with Joy for thirtieth.
The Flames will be paired with golfers from MTSU and Kennesaw State during Wednesday’s final stroke-play round. Tee times begin at 10 a.m. Eastern Time from hole number one.
