Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech’s Niilo Maki-Petaja concluded his second round at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, shooting 74 (+2) on a sunny Tuesday to put the Bulldog in a tie for 28th going into the last day of the event.
For a second straight day, Maki-Petaja found success on the front nine by shooting 35 with two birdies and one bogey. However, the sophomore was unable to get up-and-down on the missed greens on the back nine, resulting in four bogeys in route to a 39.
Maki-Petaja quickly got to two under for the event, taking advantage of the short Par 4 No. 2 yet again. After a well-placed drive on the left side of the fairway, he sank the 8-footer for birdie.
Following a bogey on the Par 3 No. 3, Maki-Petaja bounced back with another birdie on the Par 5 No. 4. After missing an eagle putt, he tapped in to get back to two under. His scorecard would remain that way as he finished the front nine with five straight pars.
The Bulldog gave a shot back on the hardest hole at the Seminole Legacy Golf Club, the dogleg right Par 4 No. 10. Having to punch out after his drive went through the fairway into the thick rough, Maki-Petaja ultimately settled for bogey.
Another bogey popped up after missing the green on the Par 3 No. 13. However, Maki-Petaja got onto the green into yet again in two on a Par 5, this one on hole 14. Inches away from a made eagle putt, he would tap in for birdie to get back into the red.
After going par-par on 15 and 16, two missed greens resulted in a bogey-bogey finish putting him at two over going into the final 18 holes.
The course played nearly a stroke harder on Tuesday with tough pin locations throughout. Maki-Petaja dropped just three spots on the player leaderboard and is currently just two strokes back of being in the top 20.
Host Florida State continued to put a stranglehold on the field as the Seminoles stretched their lead to a 14-shot advantage. The No. 1 amateur in the world Luke Clanton continues to pace the field at 12 under.
Maki-Petaja will tee off at 8:42 a.m. CT on Wednesday in the final round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional at the Seminole Legacy Golf Club.
