KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Pepperdine women's golf team tied for the strongest round of the day during the second round of the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate, hosted at the par-71 Cherokee Country Club, which puts them in third-place heading into the final round tomorrow.
 
The Waves shot a 1-over in the second round to move up one spot from the day before, and the team's two-day score of 572 (287-285) gives them a good position heading into the third round.  Pepperdine is currently 4-over in total, which puts them three shots behind Ole Miss in second and 10-strokes behind UCF in the lead.
 
There are two Waves in the top-15 currently, led by Jeneath Wong who is tied for fifth and Lion Higo who is tied for 12^th.  Higo highlighted the day with an eagle on hole 11 and Wong ranks third among competitors with seven birdies so far in the tournament.
 
PLAYER SCORE

• Sophomore Jeneath Wong (Melbourne, Australia) had another strong day for the Waves, heading into the final round tomorrow tied for fifth and only three-strokes out of the lead after a two-day score of 139 (69-70).  She has amassed seven birdies so far this week, including four in the round today, three of which were on the back nine.
• Senior Lion Higo (Gold Coast, Australia) is tied for 12^th with a score of 142 (70-72).  She has totaled four birdies so far.  She eagled the 11^th hole today and posted a birdie on the 15^th, finishing the round without an error in the last 12 holes.
• Senior Kaleiya Romero (San Jose, Calif.) is tied for 42^nd with a two-round total of 148 (70-78).  She has picked up six birdies, including three between holes 11 and 16 in the round today.
• Freshman Helen Chu (Guangzhou, China) put up a two-day score of 149 (78-71), which puts her tied for 47^th.  She has amassed seven birdies, including four in the second round.
• Junior Lauren Gomez (Murrieta, Calif.) is tied for 50^th with a score of 150 (78-72).  She has posted four birdies, including a pair of them today on a bogeyless back nine.

NEXT UP
The Waves will be paired with UCF and Ole Miss during the third and final round tomorrow.  Pepperdine will tee off on holes one through three, beginning at 6:15 a.m. PT.
 
THE NUMBERS
Team Standings: 1. UCF 562; 2. Ole Miss 569; 3. Pepperdine 572; 4. Louisville 573; 5. Clemson 574; 6. Maryland; 7. Tennessee 577; 8 NC State 578; 9. Kent State; 10. Kansas State 585; 11. Kansas 592; 12. Wisconsin 594; 13. Chattanooga 596; 14. East Tennessee State 606.
 
Individual Leaders: 1. Molly Smith (UCF) 136; T2. Manassanan Chotikabhukkana (Tennessee) 137; T2. Patricie Mackova (Maryland) 137; 4. Leon Takagi (Kent State) 138; T5. Jeneath Wong (Pepperdine) 139; T5. Vania Simont (NC State) 139; T7. Hana Ryskova (Louisville) 140; T7. Nicha Kanpair (Maryland) 140; T7. Justine Fournand (Ole Miss) 140.