The No. 14 University of Arkansas men's golf team will start its final round at the NCAA Columbus (Ohio) Regional one spot and two shots out of the fifth and final qualifying position for the NCAA Championships after carding a 2-over 286 on Tuesday.
The Razorbacks are at 10 over for the tournament, tied with San Francisco, two shots behind fifth-place East Tennessee State at the par-71 Ohio State University Golf Club.
Arkansas Coach Brad McMakin said he is optimistic about the Razorbacks' prospects for today' final round.
"Overall, it was a solid day to get us in position to advance tomorrow," he said. "I'm happy with our effort today and I look forward to tomorrow. Our veterans will be able to draw upon their experiences to get us through."
Arkansas is scheduled to tee off on No. 10 at 6:30 a.m., along with playing partners Clemson and East Tennessee State.
The story of the day in Columbus was No. 11 Georgia Tech, which tamed the 7,422-yard Scarlet Course with a round of 13 under. The Yellow Jackets moved into a tie with No. 2 Oklahoma State at 7-under par, 13 shots ahead of host Ohio State, which teed off on No. 10 and made the turn at 5 under before falling back to even par for the day.
The Buckeyes lead No. 23 Clemson by one shot and East Tennessee State by two.
Arkansas senior Julian Perico maintained a share of the lead through 14 holes at 4 under for the tournament before posting a triple bogey 7 on the par 4 15th. Perico also bogeyed No. 17 and shot a non-counting 74 on the day to fall into a tie for 10th.
The Razorbacks were led by juniors Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira and Wil Gibson, who each shot 71, and seniors Luke Long and Segundo Oliva Pinto, who shot 1-over 72.
Gibson and Fernandez de Oliveira had the most consistent rounds among the Razorbacks with two birdies and two bogeys each. Long had the most eventual day, with four birdies, three bogeys and a double on the par 4 14th. Pinto was at 3 over through four holes, but he birdied No. 8, then squeezed another couple of birdies on Nos. 16 and 18 around a bogey on the par 3 17th.
Perico was in sole possession of first after consecutive birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 before dropping a stroke on the 14th and the disaster on the 15th.
Oklahoma State's Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra fired his second 69 on Tuesday to take the lead at 4 under as the only player to shoot sub-70 both rounds. He is one stroke ahead of Georgia Tech's Ross Steelman, who carded a regional-best 67 on Tuesday.
The Razorbacks are third in the field with a 4.08 stroke average on par 4s, but they are tied with East Tennessee State at second-to-last on par 3s at 3.35.
Duke is alone in eighth place at 11 over, one shot behind the Razorbacks, followed by Northwestern (+16) and Wright State (+16), Kentucky (+17), Florida Gulf Coast (+24) and Southern Illinois (+46).