Vols Hold Share of Lead Entering Final Round

March 21, 2016 | Men's Golf

March 21, 2016

Kingsmill Leaderboard (2nd)  | Player Leaderboard (2nd)  |

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. -- Tennessee enters the final round in a tie for the lead with No. 26 Penn State at 9-over after shooting an overall 5-over 285 in the second round of the Kingsmill Intercollegiate Monday.

Team Scores (Top Four)

1. Tennessee: 284-285--569 (+9)
2. Penn State: 287-282--569 (+9)
3. TCU: 295-280--575 (+15)
4. Loyola (Md.): 288-294--582 (+22)

Individual Scores

1. Charles Huntzinger (Penn State): 67-64--131 (-9)
2. Paul Barjon (TCU): 71-66--137 (-3)
3. Chad Merzbacher (Tennessee): 69-70--139 (-1)

Tennessee Scores

3. Chad Merzbacher: 69-70--139 (-1)
T8. Michael Nagy: 73-69--142 (+2)
T14. Lorenzo Scalise: 69-75--144 (+4)
T23. Nicklas Mattner: 73-72--145 (+5)
T62. Jack Smith: 77-74--151 (+11)

The Big Orange avoided any pressure of being atop the leaderboard after the first round as it was only one of three teams to shoot below 290. No. 26 Penn State posted a 2-over 282 in the second round to climb into the share of the lead. TCU, who shot a second round team low of 280, is six strokes behind the co-leaders.

A tournament victory would mark the first tournament title for the Vols in the 2015-16 season. With the share of the lead entering the final round for the first time this season, Tennessee head coach Jim Kelson is excited for both what he has seen and what is ahead.

"We are proud of the way our players have competed this week," Kelson said. "We are seeing significant progress in several areas. We are really looking forward to playing tomorrow. This will be a great opportunity for our team."

Senior Chad Merzbacher carded an even par 70 in the second round and is in third place at 1-under. The Dublin, Ohio, native continues to take advantage of the par-5 holes, shooting 3-under for the tournament on the par-5s.

Merzbacher has finished in the top 10 four times this season and in back-to-back tournaments. A top-10 finish at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate would give him five for the season and would be the most top-10 finishes in any season on Rocky Top for the veteran.

Senior Michael Nagy cracked the top 10 with a 1-under 69 in the second round. He moved 26 spots up the leaderboard and is tied for eighth at 2-over. Nagy leads the team and ranks third in the field with eight birdies.

Lorenzo Scalise shot a 75 in the second round and enters the final round tied for 15th. Freshman Nicklas Mattner carded a 2-over 72 and moved 11 spots up the leaderboard to a tie for 23rd at 5-over.

What's Next

Tennessee will play alongside co-leader Penn State, TCU and Loyola (Md.) in the final round Tuesday. All teams will tee at 9:30 a.m. ET using a shotgun start format.

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