Fantastic Voyage Generic Graphics Updated Nov 2023
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE

Tennessee State took a five-stroke lead over Texas-Pan American in the Men’s Division I standings Saturday, and Bethune-Cookman maintained the top spot in the Women’s Division after the second round of the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship.

Tennessee State took a five-stroke lead over Texas-Pan American in the Men’s Division I standings Saturday, and Bethune-Cookman maintained the top spot in the Women’s Division after the second round of the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship.

Tennessee State, eight strokes behind Texas-Pan American after the first round, had a 22-under 598 total. Bethune-Cookman University was third at 609.

Andrew Warner led the Tigers, shooting a 72 in windy conditions. He chipped in for a birdie on the par-5 15th on the Wanamaker Course.

“On 15, I hit a pretty bad tee shot and a pretty bad approach but I caught a big break when the ball went into the hole,” Warner said. “That got me back to even for the day and I was able to hold it together the rest of the round.”

The Tigers are trying to win the tournament for the third time.

“We wanted to go out there and play smart with all the wind that was going to make scores higher for everybody,” Warner said. “We knew that with a few good rounds we could get right back in it and that’s what we did today.”

Texas-Pan American’s Santiago Bueno shot a 73 to take a three-stroke lead in the medalist race.

Bethune-Cookman women’s team had a 616 total.

South Carolina State’s Tiana Jones shot a championship-best 4-under 68 on the Ryder Course.

Jones offset a bogey and double bogey, with an impressive seven birdies. She leads the women’s overall medalist race by a stroke over Bethune-Cookman’s Patrizia Trevisan.

“I didn’t even go to the range this morning, I only did short-game work,” said Jones, who opened with an 82. “And it turned out that my short game was beyond an ‘A’ grade. … I knew my team needed me and I had to go low. Yesterday, I couldn’t make a birdie to save my neck and today I couldn’t keep count.”

Hampton was third at 643.

In Division II, Fayetteville State extended its lead to 25 strokes over Lincoln University.

The Broncos were led by Jake Barge. He had a 71, and leads the medalist race by a stroke over teammate Jedidiah Frazier (72).

“We wanted to go out there today and do better as a team than we did yesterday,” Barge said. “If you can improve each round then you have done something special. Especially on this course and in this weather.”

In the Men’s Independent Division, Justin Watkins of Central Oklahoma grabbed the 36-hole lead, shooting a second straight 74 to lead Louis Kelly of Adelphi University by two strokes heading into the final round.

“I striped the ball off the tee and don’t think I missed a fairway all day,” Watkins said. “I really grinded and just couldn’t score well. I had a goal of getting back to even par and am going to have to play well tomorrow to win this thing.”

In the Women’s Independent Division, Mia Campbell of Alabama State and Ariel McNair of Xavier were tied for the lead at 163. McNair had a 79, and Campbell shot 80.

“My putting got better today and I hope it continues tomorrow,” Campbell said. “Ariel is a great player, fun to play with and will be hard to beat on Sunday.”