EATONTON, Ga. – The Louisiana Tech men's golf team rose three spots at the Linger Longer Invitational on Saturday as the Bulldogs rank third with a -3 (290-283=573).
 
"The guys played well today," head coach Matt Terry said. "We made a few mistakes, but overall it was a solid day. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow and watching this team continue to evolve."
 
Sam Murphy had a strong performance on Saturday as the senior golfer finished the day with a six-under 66. He carded six birdies, including three straight birdies on holes four through six, and didn't have a single hole over par during the round.
 
"I simplified everything," S. Murphy said. "I didn't make the golf course any harder than it should be which led to more opportunities to score. The team did the same thing. There are a few holes that can bite you, but if you just simplify it and trust the work we have put in, we can have a really good day tomorrow."
 
Two other Bulldogs finished the second round below par as both senior Mac Murphy and sophomore Lake Juban finished with a -1 (71) on Saturday. M. Murphy had three birdies during the round, including back-to-back on holes eight and nine. Juban also had three birdies and ended the round with a pair of birdies on holes 17 and 18.
 
S. Murphy leads Tech individually at the Linger Longer Invitational with a -3 (75-66=141, 8th). Junior James Swash -1 (68-75=143, T-12th), Juban +1 (74-71=145, T-25th), M. Murphy +3 (76-71=147, T-36th) and sophomore Hunter Battles +7 (73-78=151, T-58th) rounded out Louisiana Tech's scoring through the first two rounds.
 
Charlotte leads the tournament with a -14 (285-277=562), followed by No. 40 Georgia Tech -9 (283-284=567), Louisiana Tech -3 (290-283=573), No. 45 Virginia +2 (291-287=578), Florida Golf Coast +5 (287-294=581) and Chattanooga +5 (297-284=581) to round out the top five.
 
The final round of the Linger Longer Invitational will be played on Sunday with the first Bulldog teeing off at 9 a.m. CT.
 
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