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By RON BALICKI
Senior Writer

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – UAB’s Zach Sucher watched as his 3-iron tee shot on the 206-yard, par-3 17th hole airmailed the green. When he got to his ball, resting just outside a hazard line, he faced a shot to an elevated green some 25 yards away.

“I was thinking this hole has double bogey written all over it for me,” Sucher said after his second round Friday in the NCAA East Regional Championship at Council Fire Golf Club.
 
With lob wedge in hand, Sucher hit his second shot. It struck the top bank of the hill and trickled down. Then it disappeared into the hole.

What looked like a 5 suddenly became a birdie 2.

Still, it only seemed fitting on this particular day for the junior from Mobile, Ala.

It was his last of 10 birdies on the day en route to a 9-under 62, which tied the competitive course record at Council Fire Golf Club. The other 62 was shot by Ed Dougherty in 1992 during the third round of the PGA Tour’s Chattanooga Classic.

Dougherty’s round was 10-under as the course played – as it still normally does – to a par 72. For the East Regional, No. 18, which Sucher parred, was changed from a par-5 to a par-4.

Combined with his opening 69, Sucher topped the individual leader board at 11-under 131, two shots better than first-round leader Hudson Swafford of Georgia, who shot 68. Another shot back was Swafford’s Bulldog teammate, Russell Henley, whose 68 included a double bogey on his final hole (No. 9).

“I’ve been hitting the ball very well my last five, six rounds, just waiting for the putts to go in,” said Sucher, who has won three times this spring including his last two starts coming into the regional. “Finally today, the putter kicked in, especially on the back nine.”

It certainly did just that.

After an uneventful front nine where he made three birdies before a bogey at the ninth hole, Sucher went on a tear. He birdied his first five holes on the back side then added two more to post a 7-under 28.

“This is the best tournament round I’ve ever had,” said Sucher, winner of this year’s Conference-USA title and named the league’s player of the year. “I’ve shot 65 a couple times before, the last being in the fall at the Jerry Pate.”

Following his stunning chip-in birdie at No. 17, Sucher had a chance for another at the 18th, but his 25-foot putt came up just short.

For the day, he had 22 putts – 12 on the front and 10 on the back – which he guessed was about 10 fewer than the day before.

Probably the most important aspect of Sucher’s round was the impact it had on his team.

The Blazers shot 10-under 274 and jumped 13 spots into seventh at 7-under 561, and into the thick of the hunt for an NCAA Championship berth.

The top 10 teams and low two individuals who are not members of those teams will advance to the NCAA Championship May 28-31 at the Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex Kampen course.

“You find a horse and you ride him and that’s what we did,” said UAB coach Alan Kaufman. “Zach played phenomenal, but everyone contributed. Brad Smith shot 1 under, Mike Oimoen and Adam West shot level par, and even Kyle Sapp who was our throw-out score was just 1-over.

“Our goal was to at least be in the top 15 going into the last round and we’re in that position,” Kaufman said. “They came out ready to play today but I think they know they’re going to have to do it again tomorrow.”

• • •

Bulldogs keep biting: Even after their school-record, 19-under 265 in the opening round, the Georgia Bulldogs continued biting through the field with yet another birdie barrage.

Georgia, the top seed and No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, shot 13-under 271 to stand at 32-under 536 going into the final day of play; the Bulldogs hold a 19-shot lead over Augusta State. UC Irvine and Auburn are tied for third at 10 under par.

While the Bulldogs made a few more bogeys and double bogeys than the previous day, their four counting players scored 26 birdies, four more than Round 1.

“It was a little breezier and cooler today,” said Georgia coach Chris Haack. “We still played pretty solid, we just didn’t make as many putts as yesterday. Right now everyone is feeling good about their game. Our mindset now is to see who can go out and make the most birdies.”

Leading the Bulldogs in the second round was Harris English, who had eight birdies and two bogeys while bouncing back from an opening 74 with a 65. Swafford (six birdies, three bogeys) and Henley (seven birdies, two bogeys, one double bogey) added 68s, while Adam Mitchell made two doubles and five birdies for a 1-under 70.

“Watching and playing with Georgia these past two days has been a treat,” said Jamie Green, coach of No. 9 Charlotte. “They manhandled the two rounds. It was a bit of a clinic out there.”

• • •

Tiger tales: Auburn coach Mike Griffin was please with his Tigers after their second-round 277 which left them at 10-under and in solid position to advance.

“We had four guys shoot under par, so I feel good about that,” Griffin said. “We still have to play very well tomorrow, but I think we’re in good position. This was moving day and I’m pleased that our guys were able to move in the right direction.”

• • •

Host on the hot seat: Coach Mark Guhne and his Chattanooga Mocs find themselves floating around the bubble for a trip to Indiana later this month. They stand a 5-under 563 for the tournament.

“We keep throwing away shots over the last two holes and you can’t do that against teams like this,” Guhne said. “I think we gave up 11 shots on our final two holes yesterday and five or six today.”

Unlike the other 26 teams, Chattanooga is playing under the additional pressure of being the host team.

“I think we’re all feeling some added pressure,” Guhne said. “It’s our golf course and everyone thinks we’re supposed to play well. I’m sure if we don’t (get to finals) there will be a lot of talk. It has added a lot more tension that I thought it would.”

• • •

Looking good: Of the 11 teams inside the cut line (two are tied for 10th), five were seeded 13th or higher coming in. New Mexico State, seeded 25th and ranked 84th in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings is tied for fifth with one round to play. No. 19 seed and 55th-ranked Middle Tennessee State is tied for 10th; 17th-seeded and 50th-ranked Augusta State is second; 16th-seeded and 49th-ranked UC Irvine is tied for third; and 13th-seeded and 38th-ranked Mississippi State is tied for fifth.

• • •

Close quarters: Three of the top 12 seeds are outside the top 10, but remain in striking distance. Fourth-seeded Duke, ranked 14th, is 12th at even par and four shots from the top 10, while seventh-seeded East Tennessee State, ranked 21st, is 13th at 1-over, and 11th-seeded Virginia Tech, ranked 34th, is tied for 15th at 4-over.

• • •

Looking doubtful: Three teams seeded within the top 15 appear to need a near miracle if they hope to be playing at Purdue. The biggest surprise is No. 3 seed and 12th-ranked South Carolina, which is tied for 23rd at 13 over par with 15th-seeded and 45th-ranked North Florida. Ninth-seeded and 31st-ranked Mississippi is in 26th place at 16-over.

• • •

Ron Balicki is a Golfweek senior writer. To reach him e-mail rbalicki@golfweek.com.

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Scores with relation to par from the first round of the NCAA East Regional, played May 15 at the par-71, 6,961-yard Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga, Tenn. (Note: y-played as individual):

TEAMS
1. Georgia	265-271--536		-32
2. Augusta St.	273-282--555		-13
3. Auburn	281-277--558		-10
3. UC Irvine	283-275--558		-10
5. Mississippi St.	278-282--560		-8
6. Alabama-Birmingham	287-274--561		-7
6. New Mexico St.	280-281--561		-7
8. Tennessee-Chattanooga	282-281--563		-5
8. Charlotte	281-282--563		-5
10. Michigan St.	285-279--564		-4
10. Middle Tennessee St.	278-286--564		-4
12. Duke	286-282--568		E
13. East Tennessee St.	286-283--569	+	1
14. SMU	276-295--571	+	3
15. Virginia Tech	281-291--572	+	4
16. Georgia St.	287-286--573	+	5
16. Virginia	286-287--573	+	5
18. Western Carolina	285-289--574	+	6
19. Colorado St.	282-293--575	+	7
19. North Carolina St.	279-296--575	+	7
21. Coastal Carolina	285-291--576	+	8
22. Memphis	289-291--580	+	12
23. South Carolina	288-293--581	+	13
23. North Florida	293-288--581	+	13
25. Mississippi	293-291--584	+	16
26. Western Illinois	293-292--585	+	17
27. Jackson St.	302-334--636	+	68
• • •
INDIVIDUALS
1. Zach Sucher, UAB	69-62--131		-11
2. Hudson Swafford, Georgia	65-68--133		-9
3. Russell Henley, Georgia	66-68--134		-8
4. Matt Cook, WCU	67-68--135		-7
4. Henrik Norlander, Augusta St.	65-70--135		-7
4. Sean Shahi, UC Irvine	70-65--135		-7
4. Jurrian van der Vaart, Va. Tech	67-68--135		-7
8. John Chin, UC Irvine	67-69--136		-6
8. Andrew DiBitetto, Charlotte	69-67--136		-6
8. Adam Mitchell, Georgia	66-70--136		-6
11. Kelly Kraft, SMU	66-71--137		-5
11. Glenn Northcutt, Auburn	67-70--137		-5
13. Noah Goldman, Miss. St.	68-70--138		-4
13. Gareth Shaw, ETSU	67-71--138		-4
13. Joel Sjoholm, Ga. St.	69-69--138		-4
16. Graham Baillargeon, Mich. St.	70-69--139		-3
16. Josh Bevell, Miss. St.	66-73--139		-3
16. Tarik Can, Augusta St.	68-71--139		-3
16. Matt Edwards, NMSU	71-68--139		-3
16. Harris English, Georgia	74-65--139		-3
16. Chas Narramore, MTSU	69-70--139		-3
16. Seamus Power, ETSU	71-68--139		-3
16. Travis Reid, NMSU	72-67--139		-3
16. Wes Roach, Duke	71-68--139		-3
25. Brian Harman, Georgia	68-72--140		-2
25. Kenny Kim, UC Irvine	71-69--140		-2
25. Patton Kizzire, Auburn	71-69--140		-2
25. Mitch Krywulycz, Augusta St.	70-70--140		-2
25. Kevin Lozares, NMSU	69-71--140		-2
25. Tripp McAllister, C. Carolina	67-73--140		-2
25. Jack Newman, Mich. St.	72-68--140		-2
25. Matthew Pierce, Duke	73-67--140		-2
25. Derek Rende, Chattanooga	72-68--140		-2
25. Steven Rojas, Virginia	72-68--140		-2
25. Gordon Strother, Auburn	72-68--140		-2
36. Jonas Enander Hedin, Charlotte	71-70--141		-1
36. Keith Guest, Augusta St.	70-71--141		-1
36. Jonathan Hodge, Chattanooga	70-71--141		-1
36. Josh Oller, Miss. St.	70-71--141		-1
36. Fredrik Qvicker, Chattanooga	71-70--141		-1
36. Jonathan Randolph, Mississippi	73-68--141		-1
36. Warren Thomas, S. Carolina	73-68--141		-1
36. Adam West, UAB	70-71--141		-1
44. Riley Arp, Colo. St.	68-74--142		E
44. Kent Bulle, MTSU	67-75--142		E
44. Rick Cochran, MTSU	72-70--142		E
44. Dustin Morris, Colo. St.	69-73--142		E
44. Ben Rickett, Chattanooga	69-73--142		E
49. Mark Anderson, S. Carolina	69-74--143	+	1
49. Nick Bailes, MTSU	70-73--143	+	1
49. Darren Blair, N.C. St.	70-73--143	+	1
49. y-Johnny Caldwell, So. Ala.	73-70--143	+	1
49. Will Collins, Virginia	70-73--143	+	1
49. y-Jon Curran, Vanderbilt	74-69--143	+	1
49. Matt Fast, Miss. St.	75-68--143	+	1
49. Robbie Greenwell, Memphis	72-71--143	+	1
49. Matt Hill, N.C. St.	69-74--143	+	1
49. Sam Lyons, C. Carolina	70-73--143	+	1
49. Tim Madigan, NMSU	68-75--143	+	1
49. Tom Sherreard, Ga. St.	73-70--143	+	1
49. Brad Smith, UAB	73-70--143	+	1
49. Drew Weaver, Va. Tech	73-70--143	+	1
63. Payne Gniewek, Mich. St.	71-73--144	+	2
63. Randy Hutchison, Mich. St.	75-69--144	+	2
63. y-Grant Leaver, Austin Peay St.	74-70--144	+	2
63. Nick MacDonald, Va. Tech	69-75--144	+	2
63. Kyle Peterman, West. Ill.	74-70--144	+	2
63. Kyle Stough, Virginia	69-75--144	+	2
63. Ben Tewes, SMU	68-76--144	+	2
70. Zen Brown, Colo. St.	73-72--145	+	3
70. Kent Copeland, N.C. St.	67-78--145	+	3
70. Kyle Ellis, Mississippi	73-72--145	+	3
70. Rhys Enoch, ETSU	74-71--145	+	3
70. J.C. Horne, North Fla.	72-73--145	+	3
70. Maurice Jordan, Ga. St.	73-72--145	+	3
70. Clark Klaasen, Duke	70-75--145	+	3
70. y-Michael McGrady, Troy	76-69--145	+	3
70. Jay Moseley, Auburn	75-70--145	+	3
70. Dan Obremski, C. Carolina	73-72--145	+	3
70. Michael Schachner, Duke	73-72--145	+	3
81. Jake Amos, Augusta St.	75-71--146	+	4
81. Brad Benjamin, Memphis	71-75--146	+	4
81. Brett Benson, Jackson St.	71-75--146	+	4
81. Chris Kennedy, North Fla.	75-71--146	+	4
81. Trevor Murphy, Charlotte	72-74--146	+	4
81. Ian Rochester, Memphis	75-71--146	+	4
81. Jared Steger, West. Ill.	74-72--146	+	4
81. Stefan Wiedergruen, Charlotte	69-77--146	+	4
89. Scott Barton, SMU	72-75--147	+	5
89. y-Keegan Bradley, St. John’s	73-74--147	+	5
89. Ryan Brehm, Mich. St.	72-75--147	+	5
89. Brandon Bunn, Memphis	73-74--147	+	5
89. Alex Castro, Ga. St.	72-75--147	+	5
89. Tim Cha, UC Irvine	75-72--147	+	5
89. Steven Groover, Auburn	71-76--147	+	5
89. Sean McNamara, Colo. St.	72-75--147	+	5
89. Corey Nagy, Charlotte	76-71--147	+	5
89. Carlos Sainz, Miss. St.	74-73--147	+	5
89. Kyle Sapp, UAB	75-72--147	+	5
89. Mark Silvers, S. Carolina	71-76--147	+	5
89. Ricky Stout, WCU	72-75--147	+	5
102. Jeff Dennis, North Fla.	74-74--148	+	6
102. Simon Doherty, ETSU	74-74--148	+	6
102. Dustin Furnari, WCU	75-73--148	+	6
102. Dan Kleckner, SMU	70-78--148	+	6
102. Adam Long, Duke	72-76--148	+	6
102. Jason Millard, MTSU	75-73--148	+	6
102. Lindsay Renolds, C. Carolina	75-73--148	+	6
102. Brad Revell, N.C. St.	75-73--148	+	6
102. y-Jose Toledo, New Orleans	75-73--148	+	6
102. Jason Woll, West. Ill.	73-75--148	+	6
112. Andrew Byrd, N.C. St.	73-76--149	+	7
112. Greg Carlin, Virginia	78-71--149	+	7
112. J.T. Clendenin, Chattanooga	77-72--149	+	7
112. Andres Cuenca, WCU	76-73--149	+	7
112. David Dannelly, C. Carolina	75-74--149	+	7
112. Jordan Gibb, North Fla.	79-70--149	+	7
112. David Marino, Mississippi	73-76--149	+	7
112. James Minahan, SMU	76-73--149	+	7
112. Mike Oimoen, UAB	78-71--149	+	7
112. Michael O’Neal, North Fla.	72-77--149	+	7
112. Jesse Speirs, Mississippi	74-75--149	+	7
123. Marshall Bailey, Va. Tech	72-78--150	+	8
123. Bryce Hanstad, Colo. St.	76-74--150	+	8
123. Brian Scott, West. Ill.	75-75--150	+	8
126. George Bryan IV, S. Carolina	77-75--152	+	10
126. Patrick Cunning, S. Carolina	75-77--152	+	10
126. Austin Lambert, West. Ill.	72-80--152	+	10
126. Caleb Marsh, WCU	71-81--152	+	10
130. Mike Bailey, Jackson St.	71-82--153	+	11
130. Max Greil, UC Irvine	75-78--153	+	11
132. Aaron Eckstein, Va. Tech	74-80--154	+	12
132. Cian McNamara, ETSU	81-73--154	+	12
132. Conrad von Borsig, Virginia	75-79--154	+	12
135. Brent Paul, Ga. St.	77-78--155	+	13
136. Albert Kilgore, Jackson St.	78-83--161	+	19
136. Mark Mueller, NMSU	80-81--161	+	19
138. Johnny Delprete, Mississippi	87-79--166	+	24
139. Reggie Newton, Jackson St.	82-94--176	+	34
DQ. Kyle Ritchie, Memphis	73-DQ
DQ. James Cox, Jackson St.	85-DQ

Posted: 5/16/2008

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