NAPA VALLEY, California — BYU men’s golf finished at 12-under-par to win the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational by eight shots after shooting 280-285-287–852. Freshman Cooper Jones secured his first collegiate victory at 7-under-par, with the rest of the Cougar squad securing finishes in the top 20.
The BYU team led the tournament from the get-go, finishing eight shots clear of second place Sam Houston.
Jones carded rounds of 69-67-73–209 over the two-day tournament while making 15 birdies to finish at 7-under-par. After making a triple-bogey on the 12th hole in Tuesday’s final round, the freshman recovered with birdies on the par-3 15th and the par-4 17th to secure a one-shot victory over three players who tied for second.
"Obviously, it's great to come out of there with the team and individual win. It is a great time of year to get some momentum for myself and the team," Jones said. "I made this win a little closer than I should have with some big mistakes midway through my final round. I was able to finish strong and get the job done. There is lots of good I can take into these upcoming tournaments and the postseason."
Peter Kim tied for seventh (71-71-72–214; -2), Max Brenchley (70-74-71–215; -1) tied for ninth, Zac Jones tied for 14th (70-73-75–218; +2) and Keanu Akina tied for 17th (72-77-71–220; +4) to earn the Cougars their first win of the season.
Brock Goyen (73-78-71–222; +6) competed as an individual and finished 28th after jumping 12 spots on the leaderboard with a 1-under final round, finishing 6-over.
"It says a lot about Cooper as a competitor and a golfer that he got the win the first time he was in contention," BYU director of golf Todd Miller said. "It doesn’t happen too often. Most guys have to get in contention five to six times before they learn to win with the pressure in them. I’m also excited for him to get an exemption for a Korn Ferry event! I hope this win brings momentum to our team as we prepare for the postseason."
The Cougars are not done this week as they head to Palo Alto, California, to compete in The Goodwin on March 28-30.