FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Jonathan Nielsen and Andrew Swanson had one-over-par rounds of 73 on Tuesday to lead Clemson during the second round The Blessings Collegiate Invitational at The Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Arkansas. Clemson stands in fifth place in the 11-team national field with a 589 score, but the Tigers are just four shots out of third place.
The tournament is being televised by The Golf Channel with final round coverage on Wednesday slated for 4:30-7:30 p.m. eastern time. Live scoring is available at golfstat.com.
Texas A&M shot 15-under-par as a team on Tuesday, 12 shots better than any other team, to take the lead with a 565 score. Host school and defending tournament champion Arkansas is in second place at 577, while Mississippi State is third at 585. Mississippi is at 588, just one shot ahead of the fifth-place Tigers. Louisville and Kansas are tied for sixth at 596.
Clemson continued to play the par four holes well and has a 4.19 team average through 36 holes, third best in the field. The Tigers have three players in the top 20 of the individual race entering the final round. The course was difficult on Tuesday as the average score was 75.2.
Nielsen’s 73 included four birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey. He had an opening round 72, giving him a 36-hole score of 145, a tie for ninth place in the individual standings. He leads the team in par four scoring through two rounds with a 3.95 average, fifth in the field.
Swanson had a wild round, as he did not make a par on holes 1-9, but made five birdies in shooting a 37. He had a 36 on the back nine to finish with a 73 to tie Nielsen for team honors. Swanson is in a tie for 18th place after 36 holes with a 147 score.
Kian Rose, who leads the Clemson team in stroke average this year, had a 74 after an opening round 72 on Monday and stands at 146 after 36 holes, tied for 14th place. He is sixth in the field in par four scoring at 4.06.
Carter Pendley had a 77 on Tuesday after an opening round 79 and has a 156 total, while Zack Gordon had an 82 on Tuesday after an opening round 74. Both golfers are tied for 48th in the individual standings at 12-over-par.
