Chattanooga, Tenn. – Tied for the tournament lead late in Monday's second round, Western Carolina freshman Jake Peacock concluded the opening day in a four-way tie for sixth after shooting 4-under par 140 over the first 36 holes to lead the Catamounts. WCU rebounded four spots in the second round to sit ninth overall with 18 holes to play at the Battle at Black Creek.

WCU's second-round score of 278 is tied for the seventh-best team round in program history.
 
Peacock followed his opening-round 1-under par 71 with a 3-under par 69, his sixth round carded in the 60s this season. Through the first 36 holes, the Milton, Ga., native is tied for second in the tournament with 11 birdies and is also tied for second in par-5, scoring at 6-under (4.25).
 
Senior Tumi Kúld climbed 32 spots between the first and second round, knocking nine strokes off his second-round score with a season-low tying round of 3-under par 69 after shooting 78 in round one. Kúld is tied for 44th overall with a two-round score of 3-over par 147, just ahead of junior Magnus Pedersen in a tie for 50th at 4-over par 148 (76-72). Kúld charted eight birdies on Monday, seven in the second round, while Pedersen had five combined birdies.
 
Rounding out WCU's scoring five are senior Louis Theys in a tie for 62nd overall at 6-over par 150, while Presten Richardson rallied 26 spots into a tie for 67th overall after carding a team-low round of 4-under par 68. Both Theys and Richardson carded six birdies on Monday, with Theys posting five in the first round and Richardson five in the second.
 
Playing unattached, freshman Kiefer Bulau carded his best two rounds of his young career with a 3-over par 75 and even-par 72 to sit tied for 44th, while junior Quinton Metz is tied for 82nd at 156. On Monday, Bulau posted 25 pars over the opening 36 holes, tied for sixth among the 96-golfer field, adding four birdies.
 
UT-Martin (562) holds a four-stroke edge over tournament host Chattanooga (566), which charged three spots in the standings in the second-round heading into Tuesday's finale. Tennessee Tech is third, six strokes off the pace at 568, with Southern Mississippi (570) sitting ahead of a two-way tie for fifth between Francis Marion and Troy at 572.
 
Nick Sutton of Tennessee Tech helped key the Golden Eagles rally by charging 10 spots in the individual standings to share the lead with Jonathan Xoinis of UT-Martin at 7-under par 137. Behind the deadlock atop the leader board is a three-way tie for third, two strokes in arrears.
 
Paired with golfers from Appalachian State, Francis Marion, and Troy in foursomes, WCU's scoring five hits the par-72, 7,204-yard course on the back nine beginning at 10:50 a.m. Tuesday while its two individuals open on the first tee at 9:00 a.m. and 9:10 a.m.
 
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9 – Western Carolina – 298 – 278 = 576 (E)
T6 – Jake Peacock – 71 – 69 = 140 (-4)
T44 – Tumi Kúld – 78 – 69 = 147 (+3)
T50 – Magnus Pedersen – 76 – 72 = 148 (+4)
T62 – Louis Theys – 73 – 77 = 150 (+6)
T67 – Presten Richardson – 83 – 68 = 151 (+7)
T44 – Kiefer Bulau (ind.) – 75 – 72 = 147 (+3)
T82 – Quinton Metz (ind.) – 82 -74 = 156 (+12)