Longwood's Scott Jordan Cards 64 to Lead Lancers in Round One of NCAA Salem Regional
By Longwood Athletics
SALEM, S.C. – Scott Jordan tore through the back nine at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls and sits in sole possession of second place at the NCAA Salem Regional among 75 golfers. Jordan posted the team's best postseason round with an eight-under 64. He started strong and was two-under through nine holes before ripping off four birdies and an eagle in the final nine holes.
The 64 was one of the team's best rounds in program history. It was just one stroke shy of the program record for a single round (63), set back in 2011 by Dillon Jensen, and it was only the third 64 in team history.
"I didn't see Scott play too much," said Longwood Head Coach Kevin Fillman. "Part of that was by design after I heard other people talking about some things. It's kind of like you want to stay away from the pitcher when he's got the no-no going. Scott's one of those guys who can, obviously, get it going, but he likes to take care of himself. He's not opposed to shaking me off at other times too. So I knew that he would be able to handle himself today."
Jordan did just that, and his round led the Lancers into a tie for 12th with San Diego State, who came in as one of top 25 teams in the nation. The Lancers are just one stroke back from being in the top 10 and six back from fifth. The top five teams qualify for the national final on May 26-31 in Scottsdale, and the top individual qualifier that is not a member of those teams also qualifies.
Longwood's team score of 284, good for four-under par, was the team's best opening round in a tournament this year, and it tied the team's best round of the season relative to par overall.
For the Lancers, the run continues a strong stretch of play that has seen the team finish in the top five in every single tournament in the spring. They capped it with a Big South Championship title to earn the chance at a regional for the first time since 2007.
The team shook off a slow start in the opening few holes and settled in amid a field that features eight teams in the top 50 in the nation. Longwood was fourth in the field on Par 5s, shooting nine-under as a team.
The Lancers did so thanks to a trio of eagles, with Daniel George firing two eagles and Jordan adding one of his own.
George continued his recent stretch of strong play and shot a two-under 70 to finish tied for 27th in the field. He was the only player in the field with multiple eagles.
The senior, much like the sophomore Jordan, closed well with a solid back nine. He had an eagle on the 10th hole at the turn, and he capped the day with a tap-in for eagle on the 18th hole.
Justin LaRue and Nick Rakes both bounced back from a slow start on the front nine. The due each posted two birdies in their final four holes to fire matching 75s, and the pair are tied for 59th place.
Brendan Dunphy shot a 78 to finish in a tie for 70th.
Now, Longwood will run it back for round two on Tuesday, May 16.
The Lancers begin teeing off at 9:50 a.m. and are staggered for the next 45 minutes, with the final tee time at 10:34 a.m. Live stats are available on golfstat.com.