Evans, Love Surge Up Leaderboard at ACC Championship

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – Behind a pair of standout rounds from seniors Ethan Evans and William Love, Duke delivered a strong second-day response Friday at the ACC Men's Golf Championship at Shark's Tooth Golf Course.

Evans paced the Blue Devils with one of the top performances in the field, firing a bogey-free 6-under 66 to vault into contention individually in a tie for sixth place. Love followed with a 4-under 68, engineering one of the biggest moves of the day as both players surged up the leaderboard and provided a spark for Duke's lineup.

As a team, the Blue Devils shaved nine strokes off Thursday's opening round to gain momentum heading into Saturday's final round of stroke play. Duke sits in a tie for 12th place through 36 holes (296-287=583), with Evans and Love leading the charge individually.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Ethan Evans carded a bogey-free 6-under 66, tying for one of the best rounds of the day.
Evans recorded six birdies, including a 4-under 32 on the back nine, and jumped 21 spots into a tie for sixth place after two rounds.
William Love added a 4-under 68, climbing 31 positions on the leaderboard into a tie for 20th.
Love opened his round with an eagle on the par-4 first hole, his fourth eagle of the season, and added three birdies after the turn.

NOTES

Evans became just the fourth Blue Devil to shoot 6-under par or better at the ACC Championship.
His 66 marked Duke's lowest round at the event since Jake Shuman's 7-under 64 in 2018.
Love's 68 represented one of the largest individual jumps in the field Friday, rebounding from an opening-round 76 (+4).
As a team, Duke remains in 12th place entering the final round of stroke play.

UP NEXT

Duke closes out stroke play Saturday with the final round of the ACC Championship at Shark's Tooth Golf Course, aiming to secure a spot among the top eight teams and advance to match play, which begins Sunday.

For more information on Duke men's golf, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching @DukeMGOLF.

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