Zheng And Sample Lift Duke into the 36-Hole Lead at
White Sands Bahamas NCAA Men’s Golf Invitational
October 29, 2022 (Paradise Island, Bahamas) – Junior Jimmy Zheng shot Saturday’s lowest score of 6-under-par 66 and Luke Sample added a 5 under 67 to lift Duke into the lead by 12 strokes over Southern Mississippi after the second round of the White Sands Bahamas NCAA Men’s Golf Invitational at the Ocean Club Golf Course. Zheng and Sample were just two of the four players under par for the Blue Devils, who will enter the final day at 29-under-par 547. Duke started the day in second place, two strokes behind first-round leader Arkansas State, which slipped to third place in the team standings.
Ian Siebers and William Love finished with 69s for the No. 34 ranked Blue Devils, who had a team-leading second-round total of 17-under-par of 271, including a terrific 11 under on the par 5s.
“We know how good we are and how good we can be,” said Sample, a sophomore from New York, who finished with birdies on four of his last six holes. “We didn’t have our best stuff yesterday, but today we played well. We finished strong as a team.”
Zheng, a junior from New Zealand, also finished with birdies on four of his last six holes, including birdies on all of the par 5s and an unlikely birdie on the par-4 17th hole. “I hooked a 2-iron down on the beach about three feet from the water and hit an 8-iron to about 15 feet and made the putt,” said Zheng with a smile. “My putter was red hot today.”
Ryan Dupuy led a comeback by Southern Miss., as his 69 was tops among four players under par for the Golden Eagles, who improved three spots. Arkansas State struggled without a player in the 60s and lost ground.
Max Schliesing, a junior from Switzerland, is the individual leader after two rounds at 11-under-par 133, but his team is tied for seventh in the 12-team field. Sample and Dupuy are two strokes behind in the race for top individual honors at 9 under 135.
Sam Houston and Stetson are tied for fourth place at 563 (-13), followed by ULM (-11), UTEP (-8), Nebraska (-8), VCU (-7), Troy (-6), Texas State (+3) and Delaware (+20).
Viewed as one of the top collegiate events, this NCAA Invitational is among a handful of premier events held at the Ocean Club Golf Course. Most recently, the resort course hosted the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. This is the third year for the NCAA Invitational, first played in 2019 and again in 2021, with Houston and Mississippi the two past winners.
For more coverage of the 2022 White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational, visit whitesandsbahamas.com., follow @WhiteSandsBah on social media and use the following hashtags: #WhiteSandsBahamas and #WhiteSandsNCAA.
Team Scoring
1. Duke, 276-271-547 (29)
2. Southern Miss, 279-280-559 (-17)
3. Arkansas State, 274-286-560 (-16)
T4. Sam Houston, 279-284-563 (-13)
T4. Stetson, 277-286-563 (-13)
6. ULM, 282-283-565 (-11)
T7. UTEP, 287-281-568 (-8)
T7. Nebraska, 280-288-568 (-8)
9. VCU, 285-284-569 (-7)
10. Troy, 286-284-570 (-6)
11. Texas State, 291-288-579 (+3)
12. Delaware, 301-295-596 (+20)
Top Player Scoring
1. Max Schliesing (UTEP), 66-67-133 (-11)
T2. Luke Sample (Duke), 68-67-135 (-9)
T2. Ryan Dupuy (Southern Miss), 66-69-135 (-9)
4. Melan Dhaubhadel (ULM), 67-69-136 (-8)
T5. Jimmy Sisson (Nebraska), 69-68-137 (-7)
T5. Ian Siebers (Duke), 68-69-137 (-7)
T5. Bret Gray (Sam Houston), 66-71-137 (-7)
T8. Brantley Scott (Troy), 69-69-138 (-6)
T8. Matt Gauntlett (Stetson), 68-70-138 (-6)
T8. John Houchin (Stetson), 68-70-138 (-6)
T8. Ugo Malcor (VCU), 67-71-138 (-6)
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ABOUT THE BAHAMAS
With over 700 islands and cays and 16 unique island destinations, The Bahamas lies just 50 miles off the coast of Florida, offering an easy fly-away escape that transports travelers away from their everyday. The Islands of The Bahamas have world-class fishing, diving, boating, and thousands of miles of the earth’s most spectacular water and beaches waiting for families, couples, and adventurers. Explore all the islands have to offer at www.bahamas.com or on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram to see why “It’s Better in The Bahamas.”
ABOUT OCEAN CLUB GOLF COURSE
Atlantis Paradise Island’s Ocean Club Golf Course offers a challenging and beautiful course for golfers desiring championship play. Masterfully conceived, the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole, par 72 championship course stretches over 7,100 yards on Atlantis’ peninsula. The course has hosted iconic sporting events such as the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational (MJCI), the Michael Douglas & Friends Celebrity Golf Tournament, and the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic. For more information about Atlantis Paradise Island resort and the Ocean Club please visit www.atlantisbahamas.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For White Sands Bahamas NCAA Invitational
Contact: Mike Harmon
[email protected]
BAHAMAS MINISTRY OF TOURISM, INVESTMENTS & AVIATION CONTACT:
Anita Johnson-Patty
AJohnson@white-sands-bahamas
ATLANTIS CONTACT:
Katie Longley
Atlantis Paradise Island
242-376-1034
[email protected]
