COLUMBUS, Ohio | The numbers written on a scorecard aren't always indicative of what really happens on a golf course.

Take the two-day total posted by Alabama senior Joseph Sykora in the NCAA Central Regional hosted by Ohio State at The Scarlet Course. He had a team-high 79 in the first round before rebounding Friday with a team-best 1-over-par 72 to help the Crimson Tide remain second overall with a chance today to qualify for the NCAA championship.

The difference in the two rounds? Not much.

'I didn't play that bad [Thursday],' Sykora said. 'If you make one mistake out here it's almost a bogey. I didn't really play much better [Friday]. I just scored better. One over is pretty good for out here.'

A similarly upbeat view was expressed by head coach Jay Seawell despite the Crimson Tide, the top seed in the regional, struggling to a weather-challenged 11-over in the second round.

Alabama entered the day trailing leader Wake Forest by two shots but dropped 10 back of the Deacon Demons with a 19-over 587 after 36 holes.

'It was very tough this morning with the cold, wind, a little rain,' Seawell said. 'We started on the back [holes 10-18], which is the heart of the two nines. We got off to a little bit of a slow start. They hung in there. I'm proud of that.'

Illinois and Penn State are tied for third at 590, a shot ahead of Eastern Kentucky. The top 10 teams and two individuals advance to the NCAA finals hosted by Purdue in West Lafayette. Ind., May 28-31.

Senior Mark Harrell leads the Crimson Tide with a two-round total of 2-over 144 and is tied for fifth with Indiana's Jorge Campillo; five shots behind Kevin Tway of Oklahoma State.

Alabama appears safe to advance for the second straight season and third time in four years thanks to a 10-stroke advantage over Kent State and Indiana, both tied for the final qualifying position.

The Crimson Tide prefers looking ahead, not back, in hopes of mounting a rally to win its first regional in 13 appearances. Alabama was runner-up in 1992 and last season.

'We want to win but in the back of our minds we don't have to. You want to stay calm and stay patient,' junior Matt Hughes said.

Having patience and warm clothing was a necessity when Hughes and his teammates teed off just past 7 a.m. The temperature was in the upper 40s with gray skies and the course was wet from light showers. By the time the last Alabama golfer, senior Michael Thompson, completed his round some five hours later it was a gloomy 55 degrees with a blustery wind.

'A lot of these pin placements are tough with the wind blowing,' Hughes said. 'You're just trying to hit solid shots in the middle of the green and give yourself the best chance for birdies and pars and understand you're going to make bogeys.'

Meanwhile, those who started play just before noon had mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 60s by late afternoon as the course dried. Still, the pretenders fell off the pace. Alabama was eighth when it left the course but six of the teams ahead of it had later starts and could not hold their spots.

'We're doing OK. We're in control. We'll have a good tee time in the morning and go out and play good and see where we end up,' Harrell said.

After Sykora's 72, Thompson followed a disappointing 78 first round with a 73 and came within inches of sinking a 40-foot putt on the final hole.

Harrell, who led the Tide with an opening-round 70, bogeyed four of the first five holes on the par-35 back nine yesterday but had two birdies and a bogey over the final nine for a 74. Hughes and junior Matthew Swan each had a 76.

Hughes, only Tide golfer without previous NCAA experience, sank a 15-footer on the par-4 ninth to complete his round.

'It was a long hard day, teeing off at 7, wind blowing and spitting rain,' he said. 'It was my only birdie of the day, the only put I made, really, but it does feel good. I left a few out there and I'm sure everybody did in these conditions. For the first hour it was spitting rain and windy, then it calmed down then toward the last five holes it didn't rain but the wind did pick up. It was a factor for sure.'