PAUMA VALLEY, Calif. – Sophomore Freddie Turnell fired a career-low score during Round 2 of the Pauma Valley Invitational on Tuesday, leading the way as the No. 9-ranked Fighting Illini climbed six spots up the team leaderboard and Pauma Valley Country Club.
A native of Somerset, England, Turnell posted eight birdies on the day and was blemish free until a bogey on his final hole of the round, the par-4 ninth, to finish with a 7-under 63. He opened with a birdie on No. 10 and moved to 2-under with his second of the day on No. 12. A run of three straight birdies on Holes 16-18 sent Turnell into the turn at 5-under. He added his sixth on No. 5, then posted back-to-back birdies on Nos. 7 and 8 before his lone bogey on No. 9.
The career-best effort marks the second-lowest individual round of the season for the Fighting Illini. Turnell vaulted 44 spots up the leaderboard, from a tie for 49th into the top five heading into Wednesday's final round. His previous low was a 4-under 66 on his way to medalist honors at The Goodwin last season as a freshman at UALR. Turnell's low round this season was a 3-under 67 in Round 2 of the Illini's team win last month at the Hal Williams Collegiate.
Buoyed by Turnell, the Fighting Illini carded a Round 2 score of 277 (-7) – 10 strokes better than the team's opening round – to move up into a tie for fifth in the team race. The Orange and Blue are seven shots behind leader and 15th-ranked Tennessee (-11) with 18 holes to play. No. 20 Georgia Tech (-10) and No. 3 Florida (-9) are second and third, respectively, followed by No. 6 LSU (-6) in fourth. The Illini are tied with No. 7 Oklahoma State (-4) in fifth.
Junior Dane Huddleston carded a 2-under 69 to move 18 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 20th at 141 (-1). Junior Max Herendeen and senior Ryan Voois also posted counting scores for the Illini with matching rounds of 72 (+1). Herendeen (+1) is tied for 37th, just one shot ahead of Voois (-2) in a tie for 44th through 36 holes. Sophomore Trey Marrion followed his opening 72 with a 74 on Tuesday and sits in a tie for 56th at 4-over.
Junior Ethan Wilson, competing as an individual, posted another strong performance in Round 2, firing a 69 (-2) to follow his opening 68 (-3). He is tied with Turnell in fifth place, where they sit three strokes behind 36-hole co-leaders Lance Simpson (Tennessee) and William Sides (SMU) at 8-under.
Round 3 is set for Wednesday. Live scoring is available via Clippd Scoreboard.
