VALDOSTA, Ga. - The Florida Gulf Coast University men's golf team seized sole possession of first place Wednesday after posting a second round score of 6-under at the ASUN Championship at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, building a 12-under 36-hole total that leads second place Stetson by two strokes heading into the final round.
Sebastian Gamboa sits atop the individual leaderboard at 10-under through two rounds, while
Sacha Ruiz climbed four spots into fourth place at 7-under after a blistering second-round 67.
Nolan Harper moved up one spot into a tie for 26th at 3-over,
Brett Moore is tied for 29th at 4-over and
Christian Figueredo climbed nine spots into a tie for 33rd at 5-over.
TEAM LEADER - Florida Gulf Coast (-12)
INDIVIDUAL LEADER -
Sebastian Gamboa, Florida Gulf Coast (-10)
LOCATION - Kinderlou Forest Golf Club | Par 72 | 7,517-yard
STANDINGS -
| 1. Florida Gulf Coast (-12) |
| 2. Stetson (-10) |
| 3. Lipscomb (-5) |
| 4. Eastern Kentucky (-4) |
| 5. North Florida (+1) |
| 6. Central Arkansas (+2) |
| 7. Austin Peay (+4) |
| 8. Queens (+6) |
| 9. North Alabama (+10) |
| 10. Jacksonville (+12) |
| 11. West Georgia (+19) |
| 12. Bellarmine (+30) |
Gamboa continued his mastery of Kinderlou Forest in the second round, once again producing one of the sharpest rounds in the field. He made the turn at 2-under after birdies on holes two and nine, posting a front-nine 34. The back nine featured the highlight of his tournament, as he eagled the par-5 14th hole to surge to 5-under on the day. A bogey on the par-3 17th was his only blemish, but he answered with a closing birdie on hole 18 to cap a back-nine 33 and sign for a second consecutive 67. Gamboa's 23 pars through two rounds are tied for the seventh most in the field, and his nine birdies are tied for the 11th most.
Ruiz was the just as electric as Gamboa in the second round for the Eagles, matching Gamboa with a 5-under 67 that vaulted him up the leaderboard. He came out of the gate hot on the front nine, making birdies on holes one, four, seven and nine to reach 4-under through the outward half and post a 32. On the back nine, he added a birdie on the par-5 11th and another on hole 16 before a lone bogey on the 18th trimmed his final margin to 5-under for the round. Ruiz's six birdies in the second round pushed his two-round total to 11, tied for the second most in the field, and his 21 pars are tied for the 24th most.
Harper had a tale of two nines in the second round. He was productive on the front, recovering from bogeys on holes one, three and five with birdies on holes two, six, eight and nine to post a 1-under 35 on the outward half. The back nine unraveled quickly, as back-to-back-to-back bogeys on holes 10, 11 and 12 erased his momentum and he parred his way home from there, finishing with a back-nine 39 and a 2-over 74. Harper's 22 pars through two rounds are tied for the 12th most in the field.
Moore had a difficult second round, running into early trouble on the front nine with bogeys on holes one, three and four before steadying through the remainder of the outward half to make the turn at 3-over with a 39. On the back nine, a birdie on the par-5 14th briefly offered some relief, but bogeys on holes 12 and 17 offset that gain and he closed with a back-nine 37 for a 4-over 76. Moore's 24 pars through two rounds are tied for the fifth most in the field.
Figueredo steadied after a difficult first round, playing the first eight holes of his second round at even par before a double bogey on the par-4 ninth pushed him to 2-over at the turn with a 38. On the back nine, he was largely composed, making a birdie on the par-5 11th to get a shot back before parring his final seven holes to close with a back-nine 36 and a 2-over 74. Figueredo's 25 pars through two rounds are tied for the third most in the field.
As a team through 36 holes, FGCU has recorded 34 birdies, tied for the fifth most in the field, and leads all teams with 115 pars while posting the fewest bogeys among all squads.
The Eagles return to Kinderlou Forest Golf Club on Thursday for the final round of the ASUN Championship, 18 holes away from claiming the first conference title in program history.
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