TEXARKANA, Ark. – Gustav Fransson carded a 5-under 67 to shoot up four spots into sole possession of first place at 7-under 137 following the second round of the Conference USA Championship at the par-72, 6,969-yard Texarkana Country Club. The 67 was Fransson's best-ever score in a round at the conference championship.
Sitting at even par for the day after six holes, Fransson fired off three consecutive birdies on the seventh, eighth and ninth holes for a front nine score of 33. After dropping a shot on the par-3 13th, the senior from Umea, Sweden once again logged a trio of birdies in a row on the 15th, 16th and 17th holes.
Through two rounds, Fransson has been the best player in the field of 63 on par 4s at 7-under. His 11 total birdies are tied for the most at the event.
Fransson holds a one-stroke lead over North Texas' Vicente Marzilio, who shot a 68 on Tuesday. Three golfers sit at 5-under.
Gustav Fransson is your 36-hole leader at the Conference USA Championship after carding a 5-under 67 on Tuesday.#ODUSports | #ReignOn | #Monarchs pic.twitter.com/wvbbOVevbR
— ODU Men's Golf (@ODUMGolf) April 27, 2021
Rasmus Konradsson gained three spots on the leaderboard following a second straight round under par at the championship. Konradsson eagled the par-4 ninth hole to move to 2-under on the day then added a birdie on the 11th and briefly led the field. The senior from Sundsvall, Sweden carded back-to-back bogeys on the 13th and 14th but birdied the 16th for a second-round 70 and a share of seventh place. After 36 holes, Konradsson has been the second-best player on the par 4s (-6) and is one of just seven individuals with an eagle.
Jakob Henriksson carded his second straight 74 and is tied for 29th. Carter Morgan improved his score by five strokes, recording a 74, and is in 54th. Filip Wetterqvist rounded out the Monarchs with a 79 on Tuesday.
Middle Tennessee rocketed up the team leaderboard following a 13-under 275 on Tuesday and is first at 571 (-5). No. 33 Charlotte and No. 44 UTSA are tied for second at 3-under 573. The Monarchs are in a two-way tie for seventh with Louisiana Tech at 3-over 579.
The third and final round of stroke play begins tomorrow at 9 a.m. ET. Fransson is vying to become the first Monarch to claim a men's golf individual championship since John Murphy won the Colonial Athletic Association in 2007.
Due to the threat of inclement weather on Thursday, the semifinals of match play will now begin 30 minutes following the conclusion of the third round. The four teams with the best 54-round scores in stroke play advance to match play for the right to claim the C-USA team title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
ODU Lineup
1. Gustav Fransson – 70-67—137
T7. Rasmus Konradsson – 71-70—141
T29. Jakob Henriksson – 74-74—148
54. Carter Morgan – 79-74—153
63. Filip Wetterqvist – 81-79—160
Team Leaderboard
1. Middle Tennessee – 296-275—571
T2. No. 44 UTSA – 283-290—573
T2. No. 33 Charlotte – 286-287—573
4. North Texas – 288-286—574
5. No. 38 UAB – 294-281—575
6. Southern Miss – 290-287—577
T7. Louisiana Tech – 289-290—579
T7. Old Dominion – 294-285—579
9. Rice – 294-292—586
10. UTEP – 295-297—592
11. Western Kentucky – 300-296—596
12. Florida Atlantic – 309-288—597
13. Marshall – 308-295—603
Individual Top-10
1. Gustav Fransson (ODU) – 70-67—137
2. Vicente Marzilio (North Texas) – 70-68—138
T3. Carson Ownbey (Charlotte) – 71-68—139
T3. Tanner Owens (Middle Tennessee) – 70-69—139
T3. Khavish Varadan (UAB) – 68-71—139
6. Rodrigo Martin Miranda (Rice) – 71-69—140
T7. Kevin Jegers (Middle Tennessee) – 76-65—141
T7. Rasmus Konradsson (ODU) – 71-70—141
T7. Matt Lorenz (Southern Miss) – 69-72—141
T7. Sam Murphy (La. Tech) – 69-72—141