Consistent play throughout the day on Monday allowed No. 47 Liberty to climb near the top of the leaderboard at the 2022 Coral Creek Club Invitational.

The Flames enter tomorrow’s final round in second place in the 16-team field after closing play on Monday with a 2-under par 566 (282-284) following two trips around the Coral Creek Club (par 71, 7,143 yards).

Liberty’s strong play on Monday was led by Zach Barbin, who opened the tournament with a 5-under par 66. The junior is tied for fourth place with an overall 4-under par 138 (66-72).

The Flames are currently one of three teams in red figures entering tomorrow’s final round. Tournament host FGCU used its local knowledge of the course to build an 11-stroke lead heading into the final round.

The 16-team field will return to the Tom Fazio designed course tomorrow morning for a final round of play, starting at 8:15 a.m. (shotgun start).

Round Recap – Liberty’s Starting Five:

• Austin Barbin – T4 4-under par 138 (66-72)
• Austin Duncan – T10 1-under par 141 (68-73)
• Connor Polender – T30 3-over par 145 (75-70)
• 77 Kieran Vincent – T30 3-over par 145 (73-72)
• Isaac Simmons – T53 6-over par 148 (78-70)
• Individual: Zach Barbin – 83 15-over par 157 (76-81)

Field Reflections:

• Tournament host FGCU dominated play during the morning flight, carding a 12-under par 272.
• The Eagles currently lead the 16-team field with an overall score of 13-under par 555 (272-283).
• Besides the Flames and Eagles, the only other team in the field to be in red figures is South Alabama, who sits in third place with a 1-under par 567 (283-284).
• The 16-team field includes six ASUN Conference schools: FGCU (1^st 13-under par/555), Liberty (2^nd 2-under par/566), No. 38 North Florida (4^th 3-over par/571), Lipscomb (T14^th 23-over par/591), Jacksonville (T14^th 23-over par/591) and Kennesaw State (16^th 49-over par/617).
• Texas A&M, the top ranked team in the field at No. 18 in the latest Golfstat team rankings, is currently tied for 10^th place with an 11-over par 579 (289-290).
• North Texas’ Vicente Marzillo leads a group of 15 players who are currently under par. He enters tomorrow’s final round with a 7-under par 135 (68-67).

Birdies and Bogeys – Liberty Team Notes:

• Austin Barbin recorded his lowest round of the season for the Flames during the morning flight, 18 holes of play that included five birdies and 13 pars.
• Barbin finished the first 36 holes of action with an under-par average on all three types of holes: par 3 (2.88 scoring average/-1) par 4 (3.91 scoring average/-2), par 5 (4.83 scoring average/-1).
• Austin Duncan finished play on Monday tied for first in the field in par-5 scoring (4.33 scoring average/-4).
• Duncan was one of 10 players on the day to record an eagle and is currently tied for 10^th place with a 1-under par 141 (68-73).
• Connor Polender and Isaac Simmons both carded under-par scores during the afternoon flight, posting a 1-under par 70.

Course Information:

• Coral Creek Club (Placida, Fla.)
• Par 71, 7,143 yards

Following the Flames at Coral Creek Club Invitational:

• Live stats will be available at Golfstat.com
• Twitter @LibertyGolf
• Instagram @LibertyGolf
• Round 3 Tee Time: Monday at 8:15 a.m./EST (Shotgun Start)