October 25, 2008

CAMPOS TIED FOR LANDFALL TRADITION LEAD
Rams in fourth with 18 holes remaining
Full Results

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Virginia Commonwealth University junior Rafael Campos is tied for the lead at the Landfall Tradition with 18 holes to play.

Campos shot a 1-under-par round of 71 Saturday on the Nicklaus course (Marsh and Ocean nines) at the Country Club of Landfall. That gave him a two-day total of 146. Campos shares the top spot with Garland Green of Virginia Tech (75-71) and first-day leader Vince India of Iowa (68-78).

“Rafa is just playing solid, like he did at Notre Dame,” said VCU coach Matt Ball, referencing Campos’ fifth-place finish earlier this month at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic.

“He’s hitting the ball well. It could have been better. I think he left some shots out on the course. When he gets it going, he’s at a different level than a lot of the players.”

To capture the title, Ball said, Campos will have to “be Rafa – somewhat aggressive but at the same time calculating. We’ve been talking about that. If he can do that and hit the ball solid like he is now, he’ll be in good shape.”

As a team, VCU sits in fourth place. The Rams were a collective 19-over-par yesterday and their team mark of 307 was the third best round among the 12 competing teams. Iowa, despite shooting 26 shots higher Saturday than it did in the opening round, holds an 11-shot lead over Tulsa. UNC Wilmington, the host team, is six shots back of Tulsa. VCU is two shots behind UNCW. Just one stroke behind VCU is Xavier.

Campos was one of only three players to break par in the second round and has one of just five sub-par rounds for the tournament. Once again, the 7.058-yard course played tough. For the second straight day, 24 of the 60 participants shot a score of 80 or higher. Every team but Iowa had at least one player with an 80 or higher.

VCU juniors Lanto Griffin and Vincent Nadeau are tied for 28th at 12-over-par. Griffin shot a 75 in the second round, Nadeau an 81. Sophomore Mark Jargren added an 80 to his opening-round 79 and sits in 37th place at 15-over-par. Senior Matt Brookbanks had an 84 to go with his opening 82 and is in a tie for 49th at 22-over-par.

“The golf course is extreme with the speed of the greens,” Ball said. “The wind was blowing hard early. It is extremely, extremely difficult. Most of the guys feel like they’re playing better than they’re scoring, which makes me feel better about tomorrow.

“The weather is supposed to be better. I think the scores will be better. If we were hitting the ball badly, I’d be a little more worried. Everybody on the team still feels positive about the opportunity to shoot a good round.”

To follow the tournament live, go to www.golfstat.com