Golf Widens First-Place Lead after Second Day of PGA Works Collegiate Championship

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Extending its first-place lead at the PGA Works Collegiate Championship, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi golf program is one round away from winning the tournament for the third consecutive year.
 
The Islanders lead Delaware State by 20 strokes for first. They entered the day with an eight-stroke lead and upped it after tallying a 306 at Shoal Creek Club.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi hoists a 589 (+17) after two days. The 589 is the second-best 36-hole total in school history behind a 588 at the Islander Classic last season.
 
"The team stayed very focused. Shoal Creek is a very difficult and demanding golf course," said head coach Pat Stephens. "We need to stay on point and continue to do what we have been doing. It's exciting to see three of our players Lucia, Lucie and Maria on top. Lucia's round was very impressive but not a surprise."

The Islanders shot a 283 (-1) Monday at Bent Brook Golf Course, which broke the school record of 285 set earlier this year at the Texas State Invitational. It was the first time A&M-Corpus Christi ever shot under par.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi has the top-three student-athletes on the leaderboards. Freshman Lucia Ramirez moved into first-place with a 73 Tuesday to bring her two-day total to 143. She's two strokes ahead of junior teammate Lucie Charbonnier, the reigning champion of the tournament, who carries a 145 score.
 
In third is senior Maria Beltran. Her 75 total Tuesday brought her up to 148. Senior Lucy Martinez is top-10 on the leaderboards with a 153 and freshman Elsa Tornvall rounds out the lineup with a 162.
 
As a team, the Islanders are on the cusp of a school record for best scoring average on the season. They entered the tournament with a 304.67 and 17.76 vs. par, and are trying to break to 17.61 vs. par record set in 2018-19.
 
The third and final round will begin at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at Bent Brook Golf Course.
 

That was a 10/10 bunker shot. 👌 Lucia Ramirez making this difficult shot look pretty simple to us. @IslandersGolf #PGAWORKSChamp | @PGAWORKS pic.twitter.com/MYYB02p7IR

— PGA Amateur Golf (@PGAAmateurGolf) May 9, 2023

Standings
1. A&M-Corpus Christi, 283-306--589 (+17)
2. Delaware State, 297-312--309 (+37)
3. Howard, 291-320--611 (+39)
4. Texas A&M-Kingsville, 313-320--633 (+61)
5. North Carolina A&T, 306-334--640 (+68)
t6. Texas Southern, 304-337--641 (+69)
t6. Tennessee State, 312-329--641 (+69)
8. Chicago State, 313-333--646 (+74)
9. Western New Mexico, 308-342--650 (+78)
10. Prairie View A&M, 323-351--674 (+102)
11. Bethune-Cookman, 327-351--678 (+106)
 
Individually (out of 54)
1. Lucia Ramirez, 70-73--143
2. Lucie Charbonnier, 67-78--145
3. Maria Beltran, 73-75--148
10. Lucy Martinez, 73-80--153
25. Elsa Tornvall, 75-87--162
 
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