Berman helps Georgetown maintain lead at Big East tourney

   Former Haverford School standout Cole Berman and his Georgetown Hoyas remained solidly atop the team leaderboard when play at the Big East Championship was halted by lightning Monday at Callawassie Island Golf Club in Okatie, S.C.

   The top six teams were still on the course when play was suspended, but Georgetown was 1-over for the round and 3-over for the tournament. The Hoyas’ lead had been nine shots entering the second round, but Xavier was only able to whittle one shot off that advantage as the Musketeers were even for the day and 11-over for the tournament.

   Marquette is another five shots back in third at 16-over, Butler is fourth at 22-over and Seton Hall rounds out the top five at 23-over. Villanova completed its second round, adding a 305 to its opening-round 311 and sits in eighth place at 616.

   Berman, a sophomore who is the reigning BMW Philadelphia Amateur champion, was even-par for his round, which makes him even for the tournament and alone in fourth place in the individual chase.

   Leading the way for the Hoyas is Sam Madsen, a sophomore from Madison, Wis. who is alone in third place at 1-under.

   Two other Georgetown players are in the top 10 with Jack Musgrave, a sophomore from Chesterton, Ind., sitting in a tie for fifth at 1-over, and Harrison Rhoades, a freshman from Raleigh, N.C., holding down 10^th place at 3-over.

   Seton Hall’s Lloyd Jefferson Go, a junior from the Philippines, opened up a six-shot lead in the race for the individual title by going 6-under through 16 holes over the 6,960-yard, par-72 Dogwood and Magnolia nines.

   Xavier’s Jose Montano, a sophomore from Bolivia, is alone in second place at 2-under. He is 1-over for his round.

   Joining Georgetown’s Musgrave in a tie for fifth at 1-over is Butler’s Joey Arcuri, a junior from Cincinnati who had a 2-under round going when play was suspended after opening with a 75.

   Lucas Trim, a junior from Tampa, Fla., continued his strong play in leading the way for Villanova. Trim added a second straight 1-over 73 and is tied for seventh at 2-over 146.

   Luke Waggoner, the Wildcats’ senior leader from Crystal Lake, Ill., remained in the top 20 as he carded a 3-over 75 and is tied for 20^th at 7-over 151.

   Rounding out the Villanova contingent were: Andrew MacMillan, a sophomore from Scottsdale, Ariz. who had a 76 and is tied for 34^th at 158; Zach Egermayer, a sophomore from Glen Rock, N.J. who had an 83 and is 41^st at 163; and Will Byrne, a sophomore from McLean, Va. who had an 81 and is 43^rd at 169.

   Meanwhile at the American Athletic Conference Championship at the Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto, Fla., Temple senior Brandon Matthews saw his chance for an individual title take a hit as his 2-over 74 left him in a tie for sixth at 1-under 143 after two rounds.

   Matthews, the 2010 PIAA champion as a junior at Pittston, had opened with a 3-under 69 over the 7,025-yard, par-72 Quarry Course at Black Diamond, but his 74 Monday leaves him four shots out of the lead.

   South Florida’s Chase Koepka, a senior from West Palm Beach, Fla. and the younger brother of blossoming PGA Tour star Brooks Koepka, and Houston’s Vincent Martino, a senior from Southlake, Texas, are tied atop the individual standings at 5-under 139. Koepka, who plans to turn professional this summer, fired a 4-under 68 while Martino added a 2-under 69 to his opening-round 70.

   Koepka’s teammate Aksel Olsen, a senior from Norway, is alone in third place at 4-under 140 after a second straight 70.

   Koepka and Olsen have South Florida, No. 15 in the latest Golfstat rankings, solidly atop the team leaderboard. The Bulls posted a 6-under 282 for a 9-under 567 total after two rounds. That leaves them 12 shots clear of Houston, ranked 35^th, and East Carolina, which are tied for second at 3-over 579. Houston carded a 1-over 289 Monday while East Carolina came in with a 4-over 292.

   Memphis, ranked 39^th, is fourth at 584 following a 2-over 290, and Central Florida rounds out the top five at 587 following a 294.

   The day’s best round belonged to Connecticut’s Zach Zaback, a senior from Farmington, Conn. who fired an 8-under 64 to move into fourth place at 3-under 241. East Carolina’s Wes Conover, a senior from Holly Springs, N.C., added a 73 to his opening-round 69 and is alone in fifth place at 2-under 142.

   Joining Temple’s Matthews in the tie for sixth at 1-under 143 are: East Carolina’s Jacob Hicks, a senior from Mehane, N.C. who carded a 2-under 70; Cincinnati’s Emerson Newsome, a senior from Dacula, Ga. who had a 71; and Memphis’ Thomas Perrot, a senior from France who had a 72.

   Temple improved a shot with a second-round 303 and is in eighth place at 607.

   Rounding out the Temple contingent were: Sophomore Mark Farley, the former Calvary Christian standout who had a 2-over 74 and is 23^rd at 5-over 149; freshman Gary McCabe, a La Salle product who had a 78 and is tied for 38^th at 157; Trey Wren, a freshman from Suffolk, Va. who had a 77 and is 41^st at 158; and John Barone, a redshirt freshman from Dunmore who a 79 and is tied for 42^nd at 161.