BELLEAIR, Fla. – Houston held their position atop the leaderboard of the 2023 American Athletic Conference Men’s Golf Championship, increasing the lead by ten strokes following two rounds of play. SMU shot 5-under 260 to move into second place, while Memphis improved to third place after shooting 3-under 284.
 
The average score for the first 36 holes of the tournament was 71.89 on the par-70, 6,881-yard course. The second round average score of 45 rounds was 71.56.
 
Houston was able to extend their lead by five extra strokes after shooting 2-under 278 in round two. The Cougars sit at 10-under 550 following 36 holes. Santiago De La Fuente moved into a tie for first place with teammate Austyn Reily after shooting 3-under 67 to improve to 7-under 133 for the two rounds.
 
SMU moved up four spots and are in solo second place heading into the final round of competition after shooting 260 (-5) for the round. The Mustangs were led by a 5-under 65 from Williams Sides, who is now tied for fifth place after two round.  Zach Kingsland also shot under-par, shooting 67 (-3) for the round.
 
Memphis improved two one spot, moving into solo third place following a 3-under 284 second round. All four scorers for the Tigers shot par or better, including a 2-under 68 from Ryan van der Klis.
 
UCF dropped to fourth place, ending the second round with a 287 (+7). The Knights end two days of play with a score of 565 (+4). Johnny Travale shot par for the Knights, including three birdies on holes one, nine, and thirteen.
 
South Florida rounds out the top five, completing the course at 287 (+7) on day two of the tournament. The Bulls sit at 565 (+5) following the first 36 holes. Nino Palmquist shot 1-under 69 to lead the Bulls on day two and sits three strokes behind Reily and De La Fuente for the lead.
 
Temples Ethan Whitney (t-3^rd place) who shot 136 (66-70, -4) through two rounds and East Carolina’s Lucas Augustsson (t-5^th place) who shot 137 (68-69, -3) round out the top five individuals through 36 holes.
 
Teams will tee off for the final round of the 2023 American Men’s Golf Championship on Sunday beginning at 8 a.m. (ET).
 
2023 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Team Standings Through Round 2
1. Houston                550 (272-278, -10)
2. SMU                       560 (285-275, E)
3. Memphis              561 (284-277, -3)
4. UCF                        564 (277-287, +4)
5. South Florida       565 (278-287, +5)
6. Cincinnati             568 (284-284, +8)
7. Wichita State       577 (292-285, +17)
8. Temple                  579 (294-285, +19)
9. East Carolina       580 (293-287, +20)