After leading for the first two rounds, BYU's men's golf team finished second behind sixth-ranked Arizona State in the Southwestern Intercollegiate Invitational.
"Uncharacteristic of this team, I think we started out a little tight today," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "But I'm happy with their effort because they came back and played that final nine holes solid."
Arizona State, who started the day six strokes behind BYU, took advantage of the Cougars' early putting mistakes and jumped out to the lead. The eighth-ranked Cougars, led by Andy Miller, fought back on the final nine holes, but Arizona State held on for a six-stroke victory. The Sun Devils shot 856 overall and featured three golfers who placed in the top eight. Brigham Young finished second (862), followed by Oregon (871), Pepperdine and Fresno State (both shot 874) and UCLA (878). Host USC shot 886 and finished eighth.
The Cougars nearly claimed their fifth victory in seven tournaments this season, but were denied thanks to the outstanding play of Arizona State.
"To their credit, Arizona State played excellent today," Brockbank said. "I think it was good for us to face this type of challenge."
BYU will next play at the UC-Santa Barbara Invitational on March 13-14.
Andy Miller 72-70-72--142 (even)
Todd Miller 74-69-74-143 (+1)
Billy Harvey 72-71-72-143 (+1)
Manuel Merizalde 71-73-73-144 (+2)
Jose Garrido 72-73-74-145 (+3)