University of Houston
The American Championships
Martino Tied for Lead at American Championships
5/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Live Scoring | Second-Round Results |
|---|
| Team | Rounds | Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| 1. | #15 USF | 285 | 282 | 567 | -9 | |
| t2. | #35 Houston | 290 | 289 | 579 | +3 | |
| t2. | East Carolina | 287 | 292 | 579 | +3 | |
| 4. | #39 Memphis | 294 | 290 | 584 | +8 | |
| 5. | UCF | 293 | 294 | 587 | +11 | |
| 6. | Cincinnati | 295 | 392 | 588 | +12 | |
| 7. | UConn | 300 | 297 | 599 | +23 | |
| 8. | Temple | 304 | 303 | 607 | +31 | |
| 9. | Tulsa | 300 | 317 | 617 | +41 | |
| HOUSTON LEADERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| t1. | Vincent Martino | 70 | 69 | 139 | -5 | |
| t10. | Michael Perras | 74 | 70 | 144 | E | |
| 19. | Papito Gonzalez | 73 | 73 | 146 | +2 | |
| t24. | Joshua Gibbons | 73 | 77 | 150 | +6 | |
| 32. | Blair Hamilton | 76 | 77 | 153 | +9 | |
| OVERALL LEADERS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |||
| t1. | Vincent Martino Houston | 70 | 69 | 139 | -5 | |
| t1. | #24 Chase Koepka USF | 71 | 68 | 139 | -5 | |
| 3. | #26 Aksel Olsen USF | 70 | 70 | 140 | -4 | |
| 4. | Zach Zaback UConn | 77 | 64 | 141 | -3 | |
| 5. | Wesley Conover East Carolina | 69 | 73 | 142 | -2 | |
After opening the tournament with a 70 on Sunday on the 7,025-yard, par-72 Quarry Course at Black Diamond Ranch, Martino sank three birdies with an eagle and endured only two bogeys to move into a tie with USF's Chase Koepka for the lead at 5-under-par 139.
USF's Aksel Olsen was in third at 140, while UConn's Zach Zaback posted the low round of the day with a 64 to move into fourth at 142. East Carolina's Wesley Conover was in fifth at 142 with four golfers in a tie for sixth at 143.
As a team, the Cougars enjoyed the second-lowest round of the day but were unable to make any ground on leader and 15th-ranked USF. The Bulls held the 36-hole lead at 567, while the Cougars were tied with East Carolina at 579.
No. 39 Memphis (584), UCF (587), Cincinnati (588), UConn (599), Temple (607) and Tulsa (617) rounded out the field.
Like the First Round, Martino got off to a quick start, sinking a birdie on the 402-yard, par-4 second hole and adding another birdie on the par-5 fifth hole. However, the Southlake, Texas, native found trouble late in his front nine and early in his back nine.
Standing at 2-under-par through seven holes, Martino dropped a stroke with a bogey on No. 8 and returned to even-par with another birdie on the par-4 10th hole. Fortunately, that would be the extent of Martino's worries in the round.
He rallied from his second bogey with three straight pars and then sank an eagle on the par-5 14th hole. Following three more pars, Martino capped his day with a birdie on No. 18 for a Second-Round 69. It was his lowest round in a conference championships event, topping his previous best of 71 in the 2013 Conference USA Championships Second Round in Texarkana, Ark.
Martino was not the only Cougar to enjoy red numbers on Monday. Sophomore Michael Perras enjoyed a strong surge at the end and was tied for 10th at even-par 144.
Enduring only one birdie with a pair of bogeys through his first 10 holes, the Deer Park, Texas, native enjoyed a solid back nine. The rally started with a birdie on the par-4 11th hole and, after a hiccup with a bogey on No. 13, continued with three birdies in his final five holes.
Perras drained back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 and added his team-leading fifth and final birdie on No. 18 for a Second-Round 70.
Sophomore Papito Gonzalez stood in 19th at 146 after shooting his second straight 73, while sophomore Joshua Gibbons was tied for 24th at 150. Senior Blair Hamilton finished Monday's Round in 32nd at 153.
FINAL-ROUND PAIRINGS
The 3-day, 54-hole tournament concludes with the Final Round, beginning at 7 a.m. (CDT) Tuesday. Starting their day off No. 1, the Cougars will compete in threesomes with student-athletes from USF and East Carolina
Hamilton will start the day at 7:50 a.m. (CDT) with Gibbons (8 a.m. CDT), Gonzalez (8:10 a.m. CDT), Perras (8:20 a.m. CDT) and Martino (8:30 a.m. CDT) following.
Admission is free, and the public is invited to attend. Fans can follow live scoring by visiting golfstat.com and following the appropriate links or by clicking here. Fans can learn more about the 2016 Championships by visiting Championship Central.
The winner of The American Championships receives the league's automatic berth into NCAA Regional play, scheduled for May 16-18 at one of six sites across the country.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
The Cougars have enjoyed a rich history in conference championships. Houston has captured 20 team championships and 20 individual titles during its history, including team and individual sweeps at the 2013 Conference USA championship at Texarkana Country Club in its most recent.
This mark the second straight season in which the Cougars will compete at Black Diamond Ranch. A year ago, Houston finished fourth with seniors Kyle Pilgrim and Roman Robledo finishing among the top-10 individual leaders.
UP NEXT
Following The American Championships, the Cougars hope to compete at the NCAA Regional on May 16-18 at a site to be determined. The Cougars will learn their NCAA postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show at 8:30 a.m., May 5, on the Golf Channel and the Golf Channel's web site.
Ol' Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, Ala.); Gallery Golf Club (Tucson, Ariz.); Meadow Valley Course â€" Blackwolf Run (Kohler, Wisc.); Championship Course at UNM (Albuquerque, N.M.); Karsten Golf Club (Stillwater, Okla.); Vanderbilt Legends Club (Nashville, Tenn.) will host NCAA Regionals in 2016.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at HoustonCougarGolf.
Players Mentioned
