Farrell (-5), Eichhorn (-3) Lead MU at Thunderbird Collegiate

PHOENIX — Oliver Farrell matched a second-round best 4-under-par 67 to finish 5-under-par through 36 holes, good for a tie for second place as Marquette is ninth after two rounds at the Thunderbird Collegiate, hosted by Arizona State.

Farrell (70-67-137) and Hunter Eichhorn (67-72—139, 3-under-par) are MU's top-10 players after a 36 hole Friday at Papago G.C. (Par 71, 7,333 yards) - Eichhorn is tied for seventh after an opening round 67.

The event features 10 top-50 teams in the latest Golfstat rankings, including No. 43 Marquette, and 20 top-100 players, including Farrell (60) and Eichhorn (91).

Farrell went 1-under-par in his first round, and a 3-under-par second round back nine performance lifted him to a 4-under-par finish. His 11 birdies over 36 holes lead the 80-man field. Farrell is four strokes behind tournament leader Chun An Yu of Arizona State at 9-under-par.

Eichhorn had a six-birdie first round to post a 4-under-par 67, good for second place after 18 holes.

After a 7-over-par 291 in the first round, Marquette (291-282—573, 5-over-par) went 2-under-par in the second round thanks to 19 birdies - MU and North Carolina carded a field-best 35 birdies in the first 36 holes.

Host Arizona State leads tournament play at 13-under-par, seven strokes ahead of Texas and eight better than defending NCAA champion Oklahoma State.

Final round play opens at 9 a.m. CT - the Golden Eagles will be paired up with Iowa State in third round play.