Golden Flashes enter Monday's final round two shots back of LSU  

WAYZATA, Minn. — Senior All-American John Hahn (Las Vegas, Nev. / Hudson [Ohio]) opened his final season at Kent State with a bang firing rounds of 68 (-4) and 67 (-5) that helped put Kent State in contention after the first two rounds of play at the Gopher Invitational.  Behind Hahn, who has a four stroke lead on the field, the Golden Flashes shot a +8, 584 (291-293) leaving them just two shots back of LSU heading into Monday's final round.  

Playing the par 72, 7,020-yard, Spring HIll Golf Club, Hahn wasted little time in jump starting the season making birdie on No. 1, a 341-yard par four.  He would eventually post four birdies in his first 10 holes also scoring on holes No. 4, 6 and 10.  After a bogey on No. 14 brought him back to -3, Hahn closed out the season opening round with another birdie on No. 16 to help wrap up his -4, 68.  
Not to be out down he again birdie No. 1 in round two.  Joined this time by a bogey on No. 2 and three more birdies on Nos. 3, 6 and 7 Hahn made the turn at -3.  On the back nine he moved to -4 with a birdie No. 13 then dropped to -6 with an eagle on No. 16, a 508-yard par five.  After a bogey on No. 18 Hahn closed out the day with a 67 giving him a 36-hole score of 135 (-9).  He'll begin the final round on Monday with a four shot lead over Kelly Kraft of SMU who won the medalist honors at the event last year with a -15, 201.  

Backing up Hahn's performance was senior Brett Cairns (Courtland, Ontario / Holy Trinity) who posted rounds of 74-74.  Cairns had a slow start to the day making bogey on four of his first seven holes.  The 2010 Mid-American Conference Golfer of the Year regrouped and played his final 29 holes at even-par as he ended the day tied for 16th with a +4 148.   

Junior Mackenzie Hughes (Dundas, Ontario / Highland Secondary) had Kent State's second lowest round in the morning wave with a +1, 73, but trio of double bogeys in the afternoon led to a +8, 80.  He ended the day tied for 34th with a +9, 153.  Playing in his first collegiate tournament freshman Corey Conners had rounds of 76 and 75 for a +7 151 36-hole total.  Conners posted seven birdies in the two rounds, but was done in by a pair of double bogeys on No. 18, a 411-yard par four.  Tied for 28th overall he is just two strokes out of the top 20.  

Like Cairns, sophomore Kevin Miller (Dover, Ohio / Sugarcreek Garaway) started off slow making bogey on four of his first five holes.  Miller fought back to make three birdies in round one and had four on the day as he eventually finished with two rounds of 77.  His +10, 154 has him just one stroke back of Hughes in a tie for 37th.  

Kent State held a one stroke lead over three teams after round one, before LSU caught fire and posted a 281 in the second round to move up from ninth to first at the end of round two.  The Golden Flashes are four strokes ahead of Arkansas (588) and Charlotte (588) which are tied for third at +12.  

Final round action begins tomorrow at 8:50 a.m. (CST) for the Golden Flashes.  

        Kent State    Rd1-Rd2=total (to par)
1         John Hahn     68 - 67 = 135 (-9)
T16         Brett Cairns     74 - 74 = 148 (+4)
T28         Corey Conners     76 - 75 = 151 (+7)
T34         Mackenzie Hughes     73 - 80 = 153 (+9)
T37         Kevin Miller     77 - 77 = 154 (+10)

        team    Rd1-Rd2=total (to par)
1         LSU    301 - 281 = 582 (+6)
2          Kent State    291 - 293 =584 (+8)
T3         Arkansas    297 - 291 =588 (+12)
T3         Charlotte    294 - 294 =588 (+12)
5         UNC Greensboro    292 - 299 = 591 (+15)
6           Minnesota    292 - 300 = 592 (+16)
7         Lamar    300 - 294 = 594 (+18)
8           Iowa    293 - 302 = 595 (+19)
9           SMU    292 - 304 = 596 (+20)
10         Wisconsin    304 - 308 = 612 (+36)
11         Marquette     310 - 315 = 625 (+49)