ST. SIMONS ISLAND — With 36-hole leader Lee McCoy leading the way, the Georgia men’s golf team sits in second place after two rounds of the Southeastern Conference Championship on Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs fired an 11-over 291 to move to 8-over 568 for the tournament. Georgia is just two shots back of Kentucky’s 6-over 566. Texas A&M stands third at 10-over 570, followed by Arkansas (11-over 571) and Auburn (14-over 574).
“We’re still in this thing,” Georgia head coach Chris Haack said. “I can definitely see it going down to the bitter end on Sunday. If the wind keeps blowing, anything can happen. We’ve just got to stay patient and get that ball in the hole as soon as we can. I’d like to see our team get into the winners circle. But to win a championship, you have to finish things off and earn it. We’ve got to go win it; no one is going to give it to us. We’ll go out and Sunday and do our best.”
On Saturday, the Bulldogs counted an even-par 70 from McCoy, a Habersham Central graduate, as well as a 2-over 72 from freshman Tye Waller, a 4-over 74 from sophomore Zach Healy and a 5-over 75 from junior Greyson Sigg. Senior Sepp Straka had the Bulldogs’ non-counting score of 10-over 80.
McCoy, a senior, will take the individual lead into the final day of competition. He sits at 2-under 138 — one shot ahead of Auburn’s Matt Gilchrist, and two clear of a group at even-par 140 that includes Kentucky’s Tyler McDaniel, Arkansas’ Taylor Moore, Texas A&M’s Andrew Lister, Tennessee’s Chad Merzbacher, LSU’s Eric Ricard and Vanderbilt’s Matthias Schwab.
“I’ve never really even contended for the SEC title,” McCoy said. “It’s always been an event where I’ve struggled. So I’m happy to have turned things around thus far. In a tournament of this magnitude, all you ever want is a chance to contend on Sunday. To be out front heading into the last day is a bonus.”
Said Haack, “Lee seems to be putting it in the right spots. He left a few out there today, but all in all, he’s hitting it pretty well. He’s put himself in a good position for Sunday.”
The final round of the SEC Championship will begin on Sunday with tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. Georgia will be paired with Kentucky and Texas A&M beginning at 9:10 a.m. Live results can be found at GolfStat.com and SECSports.com.
