GREENSBORO, N.C. - During the second round of the ODAC Championship, the Bridgewater College men's golf team dropped from 6th place to 8th place, but continued to score well, and they remained within reach of several nationally ranked teams. With a team score of 302 at Forest Oaks Golf Club on Tuesday, the Eagles are just two strokes from 5th place in the strongest DIII conference in the nation.
 
Coming into the postseason, the Eagles were averaging 307 but they managed a 298 (+10) yesterday, which had them within a stroke of top-ranked W&L, and on a windier day Tuesday they still managed to play to +14. In fact, early in the round, with all teams on the golf course, the squad briefly pulled into a tie for third place, head-to-head with No. 14-ranked Guilford. 
 
"We are a good golf team, and we are in the top-third of all D3 teams," said head coach John Rogers, "but we came here ranked number 101 in the nation, so it is a testament to the hard work of our guys that they are going toe-to-toe with these excellent ODAC teams. And this is a lineup that includes three freshmen too, so I tip my hat to these Eagles for stepping up just when we want to have a competitive showing."
 
The duo of senior Max Bondurant and freshman Walker Gillespie continue to pace the Bridgewater team. After two rounds, they are both tied for 7th in a field that includes many of the top players in DIII golf. Today they both played quiet rounds with a lot of pars. Bondurant birdied his fourth hole to go to -1 and simply played the remaining holes with pars and two bogies. His final tally of 73 kept him ahead of fourteen players ranked inside the top-150 in the nation.
 
Bondurant's simple round of fifteen pars was only matched by Gillespie who actually had sixteen pars. Two bogies gave the rookie a solid score of 74. Rogers said he has been hitting a lot of straight shots, adding that there are low numbers lurking for the Giles stand-out if some putts start to fall.
 
Another freshman came up big for the Eagles on Tuesday. Will Layton found a better tempo with his full shots and continued to putt well. He birdied his opening hole of the day, turned at +1, and then played the back with two bogies and another birdie. For the top-three Bridgewater scorers to produce 41 pars on a windy day was crucial for the Eagles.
 
Brandon Washburn was flustered with his ball-striking at times during the second round, but he actually played fifteen holes at just +1. Uncharacteristically, he dropped eight shots on the other three holes, though, and he came in with an 81. The junior led the team in birdies today (4) to help keep the fourth score in check. 
 
Freshman Christian Carroll came off a rough first round and found much-improved ball striking today. He kept all but one hole below double-bogey en route to an 83.
 
Lynchburg increased their team lead in the championship to eleven strokes while Jonathan McEwen continues to lead all players at -7. The Eagles have pulled away from three conference teams and will look to make a move on several others who are just in front of them when they return to Forest Oaks on Wednesday at 8:30 AM for the final round.