MCKINNEY, Texas -- Virginia posted the best single-round score in the program's history to take the opening-day lead at the Jim West Intercollegiate at TPC Craig Ranch. The Cavaliers finished the first two rounds of play at 36-under 540. Iowa State trails UVa by 13 shots at 553.
UVa shot 15-under 273 during the morning round and followed that up with a school-record 21-under 267 during the second round. The program's previous best single-round team score was 19-under 269 at the John Burns Intercollegiate at the Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii, during the 2011 season.
Virginia has four golfers among the top-10 on the leaderboard heading into Tuesday's final round. Freshman Derek Bard leads that group at 11-under 133. He opened the day with a 4-under 68 and shot 7-under 65 during the afternoon round. He's shares the 36-hole lead with Preston Stanley of Houston Baptist. Bard had 12 birdies and just one bogey during his two rounds.
All-American Denny McCarthy posted UVa's best single-round score, shooting 8-under 64 to better his previous best single-round effort by one shot and come within a stroke of tying the UVa 18-hole scoring mark. McCarthy finished the day in third place at 10-under 134. He did not have a bogey while recording eight birdies during his second round.
Ben Rusch posted rounds of 69 and 67 to stand fifth overall at 136 and David Pastore shot a career-best 66 and followed that up with a 71 to be ninth overall at 7-under 137. Like Bard, Rusch managed just one bogey during his 36 holes of play.
Jimmy Stanger is in 34th place at 145 and Ji Soo Park, competing as a non-scoring individual, is 28th at 144.
