Release courtesy of Franklin & Marshall Athletic Communications
WHEELING, W.Va. – Franklin & Marshall's men's golf team posted a second round team score of 335 on Wednesday at the NCAA Division III Championships. That score saw the Diplomats finish their tournament in 27th place as the field was cut to 18 teams after the second round of play. Despite the team's championship week coming to a close, Jared Berlin did make the cut as the top individual player among teams that are below the cut line.
F&M played on the par-71 Speidel Jones Course Wednesday where Berlin carded a 3-over (74) and sits in a tie for 15th place. Hitting seemingly perfect shots right from the start, Berlin birdied three of the first four holes and posted his fourth birdie of the round on the ninth hole as he made the turn at 2-under on the day. Berlin got his round to 3-under following another birdie on No. 13 before finishing his day at 3-over. Berlin's two-day score of 5-over (146) is nine strokes off the lead and just five strokes behind the current tie for second place.
Berlin accounted for eight of F&M's 16 birdies during the first two rounds. Playing eight holes under par, only three players in the field have recorded just one more birdie then the Diplomats' junior. Excelling in all areas of his game, Berlin is 2-under on the par-5 holes, just two shots off the leaders for the best mark in the tournament. His irons and short game have also been in championship form as his 2-over score on par-3s is just three shots behind the best mark.
Michael Gallagher posted F&M's second best round of the day with an 83. Jas Fuhrer posted a second round 88 on Wednesday while Dominic Sculti and Jordan Hubal each posted identical rounds of 90 to conclude their tournament. Fuhrer finishes his national championship with four birdies, while Sculti (2 birdies), Gallagher (1), and Hubal (1) also played holes under par. Gallagher led the Diplomats with 19 pars during the first two rounds.
Berlin will start his third round on Thursday back on the Speidel Jones Course where he played today. The NCAA Championship event wraps up on Friday after four rounds of play and 72 holes. Berlin will tee off at 10:10 a.m. with three other players who advanced as individuals. That trio will be the 11th group to the tee box out 32 on Thursday.