Pack Tied for Eighth Place Heading into Final Round of ACC Championship

NEW LONDON, N.C. – The NC State men's golf team shot its best team score in a single round of the ACC Championship since 2008 Saturday in the second round of the 65^th annual Championship held at the Old North State Golf Club.

The Pack shot a team score of seven-under par 281 in the second round Saturday. All five NC State golfers in the lineup shot even-par or better.

Despite the low score, NC State could not move up in the standings and is in a tie for eighth place heading into the final round. The Pack is tied with Florida State for eighth and is two shots back of Wake Forest for sixth place and three shots back of UNC-Chapel Hill for fifth. Duke and Virginia are tied for fourth place, one shot ahead of the Tar Heels. Clemson and Notre Dame are tied for second place, three shots ahead of the Blue Devils and Cavaliers. Georgia Tech has a six-shot lead on the field at 23-under par for the tournament.

Justin Hood led the Pack for the second consecutive day as the junior matched his opening round score with another three-under par 69 on Saturday. Hood had a bogey free day as he carded 15 pars and three birdies.

The St. Matthews, S.C., native is in a tie for eighth place with a two day score of six-under par.

Stephen Franken and Harrison Rhoades both shot two-under par 70 in the second round. Franken registered four birdies and two bogeys as he now stands in a 12^th-place tie on the individual leaderboard. Rhoades rebounded from an opening 75 to improve his score by five shots in the second round. Like Franken, the Raleigh native had four birdies and two bogeys. Rhoades moved up nine spots on the individual leaderboard and is now in a tie for 34^th place.

Easton Paxton and Benjamin Shipp both shot even-par 72 on Saturday to round out the Pack lineup. Paxton overcame a two-over par start, putting together three birides and a bogey over the final 10 holes to come in at even-par. He is tied with Rhoades on the individual leaderboard with a two-round score of one-over par. Shipp had a team-best five birdies in the second round, but three bogeys and a double bogey had him finish the day at even-par. Shipp is in a tie for 37^th on the individual leaderboard with a two-round scorecard of two-over par.

NC State opens the third and final round Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. on the 10^th hole.

Sunday's third round action will be available on ACC Network Extra beginning at 1 p.m. and can be viewed at https://theacc.co/mgolf18watch0422.

NC State Line-Up
T8. Justin Hood 69-69—138
T12. Stephen Franken 69-70—139
T34. Harrison Rhoades 75-70—145
T34. Easton Paxton 73-72—145
T37. Benjamin Shipp 74-72—146

ACC Championship Standings
1. Georgia Tech 276-277—553
T2. Notre Dame 277-282—559
T2. Clemson 279-280—559
T4. Duke 286-276—562
T4. Virginia 284—278—562
6. North Carolina 283-280--563
7. Wake Forest 281-283—564
T8. NC State 285-281—566
T8. Florida State 282-284—566
10. Virginia Tech 295-285—578
11. Boston College 292-286—578
12. Louisville 291-289—580

Pack Tied for Eighth Place Heading into Final Round of ACC Championship

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Players Mentioned

Stephen Franken

Justin Hood

Easton Paxton

Harrison Rhoades

Benjamin Shipp