ASU in tight battle for top at Hayt Invitational

Sophomore James Byrne is still in first place and No. 7/ No. 10 ASU is in second after recording a 15-over par 303 on the second day of the John Hayt Invitational in Ponte Verda, Fla. The Sun Devils raised their two-round team total to 17-over par 593 (290-303), just two strokes behind the LSU Tigers.

Byrne continued his strong play on the course that formerly hosted the PLAYERS Championship, shooting a 1-over par 73. His 3-under par 141 two-day individual total has him tied with Zack Byrd of Coastal Carolina for the top spot.

"We are playing well and I would like to see us get a little bit of support for tournament leader James Byrne," head coach Randy Lein said after the round.

Fellow sophomore Stephan Gross moved up three spots to ninth after shooting a 3-over par 75, giving him a 5-over par 149 two-day total (74-75). Jesper Kennegard ended the day with a 5-over par 77 and now has a 7-over par 151 two-round total (74-77), wrapping up the top-20 for the Sun Devils. Juniors Knut Borsheim and Tristan Bierenbroodspot are at 8-over par 152 (74-78) and 15-over par 159 (77-82), respectively.

"We will have the same pairings and same tee-times tomorrow," explained head coach Randy Lein. "If the conditions are similar to the way they have been the last two days, we should be accustomed to them. If they are a little better, hopefully we will make more birdies."

Arizona State jumped up one spot to No. 7 in the Golfstat standings and stayed No. 10 in Golfweek magazine.

Live scoring for the third and final round of the John Hayt Invitational, teeing off at 8 a.m., can be found at www.golfstat.com.