May 20, 2011

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. (SMU) - The SMU men's golf team moved up into fourth place at the NCAA San Diego Men's Golf Regional at the 6,903-yard, par-72 The Farms Golf Club on Friday, carding a team total of even-par 288 for the second round. Finishing in the top five is important because at the completion of Saturday's final round of the 54-hole regional, only the top five teams and top five individuals not part of the top five finishing teams will advance to Nationals.

While a top-five finish and the NCAA Championships are within reach for the Mustangs, competition is fierce, with SMU just five shots ahead of the 11th-placed team. The USC Trojans shot a second-round team score of 290 and sit at 568 (-8), four strokes better than the top-seeded UCLA Bruins (572). Ohio State shot the best team score of the day with a 9-under 279 to move from a tie for 11th into third place at 579.

Senior Kelly Kraft returned to form on day two, carding a 2-under 69, to lead SMU, while Max Buckley (71) and freshman Harry Higgs (72) also posted great scores for the Mustangs.

Final round play starts Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. CT, with teams teeing off on both the first and 10th holes. Live scoring and a full leaderboard are available here.