Blue Devils In Fifth Place After Second Round Of NCAA East Regional

Friday, May 18

Alpharetta, Ga.

All Day

Duke University

Day Two

Blue Devils In Fifth Place After Second Round Of NCAA East Regional

5/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf

By: Duke Sports Information

ALPHARETTA, GA ? Junior Michael Schachner fired a two-under 70 on Friday to lead the Duke men's golf team to a five-over 293 in the second round of the NCAA East Regional at The Golf Club of Georgia. The Blue Devils are fifth overall with a five-over 581 (288-293) through two rounds of the event at the Lakeside Course (par 72, 7,017 yards).

"The pins were a lot harder today and we really had to grind out there. We are in a good position and our attitude remains positive on a course that can cause you to struggle," said interim head coach Brad Sparling. "Michael Schachner played well throughout the round to lead us and Michael Quagliano did a great job of fighting back after a tough start. All the guys battled."

Top-ranked Georgia leads the regional with a two-under 574 (286-288) with Florida (290-285=575) just one shot back. Auburn (577), Georgia Tech (578) and Duke (581) round out the top 5. Charlotte (587), Coastal Carolina (590), North Carolina (591), Florida State (592) and Clemson (592) complete the top 10 after 36 holes. The top 10 teams after 54 holes, plus two individuals not on those teams, will advance to the NCAA Division I Championship May 30-June 2 at the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.

Schachner was outstanding throughout the second round en route to his seventh round of under-par golf this season. He opened with a birdie on the par-5 first hole before parring the next six holes. The Libertyville, Ill., native went birdie, par, birdie on No. 8-10 to get to three-under on the day. Schachner again parred six straight holes before carding his lone bogey on the round on the par-3 17th. He capped off the second round with a par on No. 18 to move into a tie for 11th at one-over 145 (75-70).

"I hit a lot of greens today. I had a look at almost every green and hit my irons well," said Schachner. "Everyone has played pretty well and we are in a good spot as a team. We are going to stay focused and try to make a run on Saturday."

Junior Michael Quagliano continued his steady play with a one-over 73 to also slide into a tie for 11th with a +1 145 (72-73). He got off to a slow start with a bogey on No. 1 and a double-bogey on No. 3. Quagliano birdied the par-4 fifth hole but again slipped back to three-over with a bogey on No. 8. He got back to one-over by playing No. 9-11 at two-under (birdies on No. 9 and No. 11), but double-bogeyed No. 12 for the second straight day to drop back to +3. Quagliano recovered to play the final six holes at two-under with birdies on No. 15 and No. 16.

Senior Jake Grodzinsky shot a two-over 74 in the second round with 10 pars, three birdies and five bogeys. The Cornville, Ariz., native is tied for 45th overall with a five-over 149. Freshman Adam Long also battled through a tough day, finishing with a 39-37=76 (+4). Long is tied for 34th at four-over (148).

Clark Klaasen got off to a nice start in the second round with birdies on No. 1 and No. 2. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native added pars on No. 3 and No. 4 before carding bogeys on the next four holes. He rebounded with a birdie on No. 10 to get back to one-over. After three more pars, Klaasen bogeyed No. 14, No. 15 and No. 16 and double-bogeyed No. 18 to fall to six-over (78) for the day. Through two rounds, Klaasen is tied for 25th with a +3 147.

Duke will tee off in the final round of the NCAA East Regional on Saturday beginning at 7:18 a.m. The Blue Devils will be paired with Georgia Tech and Charlotte. Live online scoring of the tournament can be followed at www.golfstat.com.

NOTES
*** Duke struggled on the par 5s on Friday finishing +5 in par-5 scoring. Schachner and Quagliano were the only Blue Devils to finish under-par in par-5 scoring. Both players finished one-under on the par 5s for the day.

*** The Blue Devils stumbled down the stretch on Friday, playing No. 17 and No. 18 at a combined five-over.

*** Duke was a combined seven-over on the front nine and +4 on the back nine.

*** On the par 5 opening hole, Schachner put his second shot in a right greenside bunker before blasting out of the trap to within two feet for a tap in birdie. He also hit wedges to within six feet on No. 8, No. 10 and No. 12.

*** Quagliano has double-bogeyed No. 12 in both rounds. He has responded by playing holes 13-18 at four-under.

*** Schachner played the front nine at two-under (34) on Friday after shooting a three-over 39 on the front side in the opening round.

*** Schachner hit 15 of 18 greens in regulation on Friday.

*** Quagliano hit 11 of 14 fairways in the second round and has a driving accuracy of 85.7 percent (24-of-28) through two rounds.