PINEHURST, N.C. - The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's golf's Connor Brown and Nick Lyerly entered the top ten through 36 holes of the Wake Forest Invitational as the Spartans stood in a tie for the lead at the Demon Deacons' tournament at the historic Pinehurst No. 2 course. The Wake Forest Invitational featured a course that totaled 7,125 yards, a length that is in between the course's US Open and blue tees.
 
Brown carded a first round even-par (70) after three back nine birdies. The sophomore birdied both par three holes, where he earned a birdie early in his round on the par three, 205-yard 17th hole and closed his round with a birdie on the 15th. With only one bogey and eight pars on the front nine, Brown carded a one-over-par (36) front nine score to finish the first round in the top 15. Brown was one stroke away from joining only seven other golfers that shot under par for the opening round.
 
Consistency aided the sophomore in the second round as Brown carded a second even-par effort on the day. Brown posted an unblemished front nine score of one-under-par (34) with a birdie on the par three, 160-yard ninth hole. Brown followed that hole with another birdie on the par five, 580-yard tenth hole. Brown finished the day in a tie for seventh place, representing one of 13 golfers in the field at even par or better.
 
Nick Lyerly rebounded in his second round after a first round four-over-par (74). The graduate student carded two birdies in his first round effort, both recorded on the front nine. Lyerly tamed the course in the second round with a four-under-par (66). The graduate student carded a bogey-free round with four birdies, three coming on the front nine. Starting on the 13th hole, Lyerly posted a birdie on the 14th hole early in his second round. Lyerly carded back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes. Lyerly was the third Spartan to birdie the ninth hole. Lyerly joined Brown in a tie for seventh place at even par through 36 holes.
 
Tommy Lamb opened the day with a first round even-par (70) scorecard. The junior carded four birdies, all coming in his final nine holes. Lamb's first birdie came on the par four, 469-yard eighth hole and followed with a birdie on tenth. The junior posted back-to-back-birdie late in his round on the par four, 460-yard 14th hole and the par three, 183-yard 15th. Lamb opened the second round with a birdie on the 17th hole as part of an unblemished one-under-par (34) back nine scorecard. The junior's second birdie came on the ninth hole for his second birdie on a par three hole in the round. With a 36-hole total of one-under-par (141), Lamb sits in a tie for 13th place.
 
The Spartans hold a share of the lead with Virginia at four-over-par (564). UNCG's three-under-par (277) was the low round in the second 18-hole stretch which elevated the Spartans four spots on the leaderboard. The effort was only one of three team rounds at par or better in the second round. The Spartans hold a ten-shot lead over third-place East Tennessee State and Northwestern.
 
INSIDE THE SCORECARD

• UNCG's four-under-par effort on par three holes stood as the best performance in the field.
• The Spartans' 21-over-par effort on par fours is the third-best team effort.
• UNCG's four-under-par effort on the course's par five holes stand in third place.
• As a team, the Spartans stood second in pars (117) and birdies (27)
• Brown and Lamb hold a share of the lead in par three scoring (three-under-par)
• Symon Balbin and Brown's two-under-par effort on par five holes currently stands in a tie for fourth.

UP NEXT
The Spartans conclude the 54-hole Wake Forest Invitational tomorrow morning with a shotgun start where UNCG will be paired with Virginia and ETSU, teeing off at 8:50 a.m.