BYU Looks For Final Round Surge

DALLAS -- After 36 holes of play Monday, BYU is in ninth place with a score of 574 at the Taylor Made Red River Classic played at the Dallas Athletic Club.

"We're hitting a lot of good shots and we are making some poor decisions as well," said BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank.

BYU senior All-American Manuel Merizalde bounced back from a stomach virus last week with rounds of 71 and 67, good enough for a sixth place tie going into Tuesday's final round.

Brockbank said playing on the Burmuda grass was difficult for the young Cougar squad. "We hit some good short game shots, despite the difficult grass."

Senior Kyle Wight has continued his consistent play with rounds of 71 and 73, as he is tied with a large pack at 29. Junior Jared Overton had a solid day of play with scores of 74 and an impressive second-round 71. True freshman Ron Harvey trimmed three strokes off his first round score to finish with a par 72 in the second round.

No. 6 Texas played to -18 over 36 holes, fueled by sophomore Jason Hartwick at -13. Hartwick shot rounds of 65 and 66 to tie the 36-hole individual record at 13 under par.

"We're still giving away a lot of shots, but we are in good company," Brockbank said. Brockbank is pleased his players will be matched with OSU and Southern California in the final round. BYU begins the final 18-holes at 8 a.m. Tuesday.