COLUMBUS -- The Kent State men's golf team played itself into position to advance to the NCAA Championships by firing a 295 in the second round of the NCAA Central Regional, held Friday at The Ohio State University Scarlet Course.
The Golden Flashes enter today's final round tied for 10th with a two-round total of 597, and the top 10 teams qualify for the NCAA's main event.
David Markle led Kent State for the second straight day with a 2-over-par 73 that featured an even-par 35 on the back nine. Markle is tied for 14th in the medalist race at 4-over.
John Hahn and David Ludlow each shot 3-over 74s on Friday and are tied for 37th with two-round totals of 7-over 149. Tom Ballinger also fired a 74 on Friday, a five-stroke improvement over his first-round score, while Brett Cairns improved by six strokes with a second-round 75.
Wake Forest leads the tournament by 10 strokes with a 9-over 577 total, while Alabama rests in second. Kevin Tway of Oklahoma State is first individually with a two-round total of 3-under 139.
The Flashes enter the final round just seven strokes behind the third-place team and seven strokes ahead of the 18th-place team.