Strong finish pushes Memphis golfer to Colleton River Collegiate lead

Sydney Chung of Memphis used an eagle/par/birdie finish to cap a 5-under-par 67 late Monday, vaulting past Cincinnati’s Austin Squires to take a one-shot advantage into the final round of the Colleton River Collegiate.

Chung’s 67 was the best score of Monday’s opening two rounds on Colleton River’s Pete Dye course, lifting him above a crowd in which eight players were separated by no more than four shots for the individual lead.

It also was tight at the top of the team standings, where second-round stumbles by UAB and Michigan State brought those teams back to the pack.

UAB takes a two-stroke lead over the Spartans into Tuesday’s finale, with Cincinnati another two shots back. Rutgers and Connecticut also were within 10 shots.

Chung’s opening 75 left him seven shots off the pace at Monday’s midpoint, and it didn’t look any better after opening his second round with a bogey. But he bounced back with two birdies in his next three holes, and gave back just one shot to par the rest of the afternoon.

He still was three shots behind Squires as he made the turn to his final four holes, but jumped into contention with his eagle at the par-5 second hole. His closing birdie, combined with Squires’ finishing bogey, allowed the two to swap places.

This story was originally published March 6, 2017 at 7:21 PM with the headline "Strong finish pushes Memphis golfer to Colleton River Collegiate lead."