April 30, 2007

TEXARKANA, ARk. - The University of Memphis men's golf team dropped four places after round two of competition, after going into the second round in second place. The Tigers are tied for sixth after falling 18 strokes behind the first place spot.

Memphis finished round two tied for sixth place after shooting a 12-over-par 300. The Tigers fell four spots, after going into day two in second place. Memphis has a 12-over-par 588 on the tournament, going into the final round. The Tigers have two golfers in the Top-10. Tied at sixth with Memphis are SMU and UTEP.

Leading the way for the Tigers is junior Ian Rochester. The Cordova, Tenn., native earned a sixth place finish on the day, after shooting an even 72. Rochester tallied three birdies in the second round. The junior has a 1-under-par 143 going into the final round. He is looking to improve his 29th place finish from last year.

Two strokes behind Rochester is sophomore golfer Brad Benjamin. The Rockford, Ill., native is tied for eighth place, after shooting a 4-over-par 76 on the day. The sophomore tallied three birdies in the second round. Benjamin has a 1-over-par 145 going into the final round. He is looking to take the title after finishing third last year.

Junior golfer Kyle Ritchie is just one spot away from finishing in the Top-20. Ritchie is tied for 21st place going into the final round. The junior shot a 3-over-par 75 on the day and will enter the final round with a 4-over-par 148. The Corning, Iowa, native had three birdies on the day. He is hoping to earn a spot on the leader board in his first Conference USA tournament.

Brandon Bunn is tied for 43rd place going into the final round. The freshman shot a 5-over-par 77 on the day and tallied two birdies. Bunn will enter the final round with a 10-over-par 154. The Knoxville, Tenn., native is looking for a strong finish in his first Conference USA tournament.

Junior golfer Robbie Greenwell is tied for 48th after two rounds of tournament action. Greenwell shot an 8-over-par 80 on the day, giving him an 11-over-par 155 going into the final round. The Georgetown, Ontario, native is looking to improve his 17th place finish from last year.

Leading the tournament is Tulsa, shooting a 3-under-par 385 on the day. Tulsa will enter the final round with a 6-under-par 570. UAB has sole possession of second place and Houston has the third place position. Two teams are tied for fourth and three teams are tied for sixth. In individual competition, Ryan Henry from Tulsa and Jordan Irwin from Houston are tied for first place, each with a 140.

Memphis will tee off for the final round on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. The winner of the Conference USA tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Regional.