Spartans Move Up to Sixth at Seminole Intercollegiate

March 10, 2012

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Michigan State men's golf put together a solid back nine today to move up into sixth place at the Seminole Intercollegiate. The Spartans matched their opening round total of 287, for a 36-hole total of 6-over par 574.

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"I think it shows the importance of finishing your round well," said Spartan head coach Casey Lubahn. "We shot the same score as yesterday, but finished in different fashion to leave a better taste in our mouths going into the final round. I am really proud of our leadership and the ability of our guys to keep fighting. It wasn't looking good for a while, but they persevered."

Each of the five Spartans scored better on the back nine, as they combined to shoot 3-under. MSU is a shot out of fifth place and just five strokes out of third entering tomorrow's final round.

Senior Chris Mory has paced the Spartans through 36 holes, posting back-to-back even par 71s, to move up into a tie for 16th. He was 3-over through nine holes today, but bounced back with a mistake-free 3-under 32 on the back side. Mory is tied for the team lead with eight birdies.

Junior Dave Ellis had a team-best five birdies today en route to a 1-over par 72, and is now tied for 21st at 1-over par 143. He is tied with Mory for the MSU lead with eight birdies through two rounds.

Twin brother Dan Ellis had the best round for Michigan State on Saturday, posting a 1-under par 70. He posted pars on his first nine holes, before book-ending his back nine with birdies on the 10th and 18th holes. Dan Ellis is now tied for 28th at 2-over par 144.

Junior Matthew Moseley shot a 3-over par 74 today and is now tied for 35th at 3-over 145. Rounding out the MSU five, freshman McCormick Clouser improved on his opening round score with a 4-over par 75. After a triple-bogey on his first hole, he bounced back to shoot 1-over the rest of the way. Clouser is tied for 77th at 10-over 152.

No. 8 Georgia Tech (16-under 552) opened up a five shot lead over No. 28 Florida State, after shooting a 10-under par 274 today. With back-to-back 67s, FSU's Chase Seifert holds a one shot lead individually at 8-under par 134.

The Spartans begin the third and final round tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. ET.