Cooper Surges in Second Round at Tiger Invitational
03/06/2023 | Men's Golf
AUBURN, Ala. — Senior Ben Cooper led Richmond with a 3-under 69 in Round 2 at the Tiger Invitational at the Grand National Lake Course Monday, climbing into the top 10 after starting the day in 27th place. With Tuesday's final round remaining, the Spiders are sixth in the 18-team field while Cooper is tied for 10th among 90 names on the individual leaderboard.
"I think the biggest key for me today was staying really disciplined at picking smart targets when hitting into the greens," said Cooper. "There were a lot of tucked pins so I made sure I picked smart targets and then once I had shorter clubs and more accessible pins I would take advantage. I did a really good job today of missing to the fat side of the green and not short siding myself with chip shots."
Cooper's 36-hole total of 140 (-4) is just three shots behind a group of four golfers atop the leaderboard at 7-under par.
Michael Childress is also in the top 25 at an even-par 144 through two rounds, tied for 24th.
Drew Carlin is two shots further back at 146 (+2), tied for 33rd. Carlin has played the par 3s at a combined 1-under par through 36 holes, tied for second best in the field.
Cole Ekert is tied for 55th at 149 (+5) and Lou Baker is 90th at 160 (+16).
Richmond has combined for 32 birdies through two rounds, tied for fourth in the field. But the Spiders have been hampered by six double bogeys.
"I've had 10 birdies in first two rounds so I know they are out there," said Cooper. "There's no need to try and force anything. And as a team people have been playing well. We struggled today and yet we are still competitive."
While Auburn, currently 7th in the GolfStat rankings, has a comfortable lead at 30-under par, the Spiders are just 11 strokes behind second-place Troy (-9).
"I think a great team goal is to catch Troy and Southern Miss which I think is very achievable," said Cooper. "Being patient will be a big key."
The Spiders will tee off in Tuesday's final round at 8:50 a.m.
"I think the biggest key for me today was staying really disciplined at picking smart targets when hitting into the greens," said Cooper. "There were a lot of tucked pins so I made sure I picked smart targets and then once I had shorter clubs and more accessible pins I would take advantage. I did a really good job today of missing to the fat side of the green and not short siding myself with chip shots."
Cooper's 36-hole total of 140 (-4) is just three shots behind a group of four golfers atop the leaderboard at 7-under par.
Michael Childress is also in the top 25 at an even-par 144 through two rounds, tied for 24th.
Drew Carlin is two shots further back at 146 (+2), tied for 33rd. Carlin has played the par 3s at a combined 1-under par through 36 holes, tied for second best in the field.
Cole Ekert is tied for 55th at 149 (+5) and Lou Baker is 90th at 160 (+16).
Richmond has combined for 32 birdies through two rounds, tied for fourth in the field. But the Spiders have been hampered by six double bogeys.
"I've had 10 birdies in first two rounds so I know they are out there," said Cooper. "There's no need to try and force anything. And as a team people have been playing well. We struggled today and yet we are still competitive."
While Auburn, currently 7th in the GolfStat rankings, has a comfortable lead at 30-under par, the Spiders are just 11 strokes behind second-place Troy (-9).
"I think a great team goal is to catch Troy and Southern Miss which I think is very achievable," said Cooper. "Being patient will be a big key."
The Spiders will tee off in Tuesday's final round at 8:50 a.m.
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