McLean County Times

The Illinois State men's golf team improved their standing on the second day of the Leadership and Golf Collegiate Championship in Seaside, California. The team climbed two spots to 12th place with one round remaining, thanks to a balanced effort and a one-over-par round from Pietro Pontiggia.

In the second round, the Redbirds shot a 302, surpassing UC Santa Barbara and Cal Baptist. BYU leads the tournament with a score of 569 over 36 holes. Other teams ahead of Illinois State include Santa Clara, Sam Houston, Seattle, Pacific, Loyola Marymount, San Francisco, Nevada, Saint Mary's, UC Irvine, and Sacramento State. UC Santa Barbara and Cal Baptist trail behind ISU's total score of 605.

Pietro Pontiggia led the Redbirds with his performance on this day. He began with two birdies, three pars, and two bogeys in his first seven holes before finishing with ten pars and a bogey over the last eleven holes for a final score of one-over 73. This places him tied for 51st overall as they head into the final round.

Senior Alex McCulla is currently leading for Illinois State after shooting a second-round 75 that puts him tied for 39th in the field. His round included two birdies and eleven pars. Will Troy shares the same position as Pontiggia after scoring a second-round 77 featuring three birdies and seven pars.

Francis Bautista participated as an individual player for the team and scored another four-over 76 with three birdies and ten pars. His total score of 152 ties him for 56th place. Aiden Cudney maintained consistency with another round of 77 that included two birdies and eleven pars to tie for 65th place. TJ Barger completed his round at six-over 78 with five birdies and six pars.

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