MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. – On the strength of a 5-under 66 by Tanner Gore, the UT Arlington men's golf team posted its second-straight below-par round on Monday in the 2nd round of the  Sun Belt Conference Tournament, leaving the Mavericks in prime position heading into the 3rd, and final round, of stroke play Tuesday at Raven Golf Club.
 
Gore came one shot shy of matching his career-low of 65 set earlier this month, helping him move 32 spots up the leaderboard from his overnight position and into a tie for 10th place overall with a 36-hole, 2-under 140 total.
 
That 140 is just one shot behind the pace of Paul Gonzalez, who posted another strong 18 with a 1-under 70 on Monday to back up the 2-under 69 he posted on Sunday. The 139 total (-3) is tied for 6th in the field.
 
Those two helped UTA break free of a four-way tie for 5th place entering the day as the Mavericks reside in sole possession of 5th place following a 2nd-round 3-under 281. Combined with the Mavs' 2-under 282 in the 1st round for a 563 total, they are just one shot behind 4th-place Little Rock (562), five back of 2nd-place Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern (558 both) and eight behind leader Arkansas State (555).
 
However, UTA doesn't need to catch Arkansas State in the final round of stroke play on Wednesday; instead, the Mavs just need to finish among the top-4 teams (using their 54-hole score) to advance to match play to determine the Sun Belt Champion on Wednesday following semifinal and final matches.
 
UTA's top-4 players are separated by just four strokes through 36 holes. In addition to Gonzalez and Gore, freshmen Kyle Cox and Caleb Hicks have performed admirably in their first SBC Championship. Cox signed for a 1-over 72 in the 2nd round, but sits at 1-under par for the tournament with a 141 total to reside in sole possession of 16th. Hicks, meanwhile, put together a 2nd-round 73 and is tied for 22nd with a 143 (+1) total after an opening 1-under 70 on Monday.
 
Rounding out the UTA lineup scoring was Camilo Avila – who ended his regular season with under-par rounds in three of his final five opportunities – as the senior has posted consecutive 74s and resides in a tie for 49th with a 148 total.
 
Gore played the front 9 in 1-under 34 before making the majority of his headway on the back 9 as he rolled in birdies on 10, 11, 12 and another on 15 to come in with a 32 en route to his 66.
 
Gonzalez was steady all round, but couldn't capitalize on two par 5s as he bogeyed the 7th and 11th, but got those back plus another coming in on the short par-4 15th to register another under-par performance.
 
UTA has played the par 5s in 1-under for the week (4.98 average), but that's actually tied for the 4th-worst in the field – an area the Mavs could improve and take advantage of during Tuesday's crucial final stroke-play round. However, UTA has capitalized on the short-iron holes as the Mavs lead the field in par-3 scoring at -3 (2.94).
 
The Mavs have converted the 3rd-most birdies in the field through the first two rounds with 37, led by nine from Gonzalez – who also sets the pace for the field in par-3 scoring for the week at 3-under (2.70).
 
Fans can catch all the final-round stroke-play action on ESPN+ on Wednesday by clicking here or following the link attached to this release. In addition to the video coverage, live scoring will be available via Golfstat by clicking here or visiting the link accompanying this release. Additionally, updates will be posted on the official Twitter account of the program @UTAMavsGolf.
 
ABOUT THE COURSE
This is the fifth-straight year the SBC Championship has been held at Raven Golf Club, home in 2006 and 2007 to the Boeing Championship – a stop on the PGA Champions Tour. Part of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, the Robert Trent Jones Jr. layout will play as a par 71 at approximately 6,800 yards; the exact yardage will differ slightly each round. UTA has finished 2nd twice in the first four years the tournament has been contested along the panhandle shore of the Sunshine State.
 
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos, videos and updates you can follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via any of our social media accounts: Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram: @UTAMavs, Snapchat: @UTAMavs and Facebook: /UTArlingtonAthletics. Follow UTA golf on Twitter: @UTAMavsGolf and Instagram: @UTA_WomensGolf and @UTA_MensGolf.