LAREDO -- The No. 14-ranked BYU men's golf team was holding on to third-place Friday after two rounds at the Border Olympics in Laredo, Texas.
The Cougars (290-282--572) shot four-under-par on the day and were led by the brilliant play of junior Greg Machtaler (70-69--139), who was five under by himself.
He was joined in the top 20 by sophomore Oscar Alvarez (73-68--141), who tied his season low of 68 with his second round score.
The Cougars also picked up solid performances from sophomore Clay Bingham (73-72--145), junior Todd Miller (75-73--148), and freshman Clay Ogden (74-75--149). BYU played without freshman Jake Ellison, who boasts the team's lowest stroke average at 71.8. Ellison is nursing a minor injury.
With 18 more holes to play, BYU is one stroke ahead of fourth-place San Diego State (287-286--573) and three back of Baylor (286-283--569). SMU (282-276--558) has a strong hold on first place.
BYU headed into the Border Olympics on a roll. The team has finished in the top five in all eight of its tournaments this season, including a first-place finish in the Cougars' last outing two weeks ago, the Morris Williams Intercollegiate in Austin. BYU shot a six-under-par 281-285-292--858 behind top-20 finishes from Ellison (3), Machtaler (7), and Alvarez (12).
The Cougars finished seventh out of 14 teams in last year's Border Olympics, shooting a 10-over 291-286-297--874. They were led by freshman Daniel Summerhays, who took fifth place in the individual standings after firing 72-71-69--212, four under par. Texas A&M won the Border Olympics in 2003 after overcoming a 16-stroke deficit in the final round.
BYU is playing against a competitive field of 16 teams, including the following: No. 19-ranked Arkansas, No. 29 Colorado State, Rice, Southeastern Louisiana, North Texas, No. 39 SMU, No. 48 Baylor, No. 45 San Diego State, Lamar, No. 37 Texas Tech, Houston, Texas State, Texas-Arlington, Michigan State, No. 49 Texas-San Antonio, and host Texas A&M, who is ranked No. 38 nationally.
The Border Olympics are being played at Laredo Country Club, a par-72 course that measures 7,125 yards.
The final 18 holes will be played Tuesday.
Border Olympics Laredo, Texas
April 2 Laredo Country Club
Par: 72 Yardage: 7,125
Fin. Name Score
3 Brigham Young 290-282--572 (-4)
T 4 Greg Machtaler 70-69--139 (-5)
T 13 Oscar Alvarez 73-68--141 (-3)
T 21 Clay Bingham 73-72--145 (+1)
T 48 Todd Miller 75-73--148 (+4)
T 56 Clay Ogden 74-75--149 (+5)
Fin. School Score
1 Southern Methodist 282-276--558 (-18)
2 Baylor 286-283--569 (-7)
3 Brigham Young 290-282--572 (-4)
4 San Diego State 287-286--573 (-3)
5 Lamar 289-285--574 (-2)
6 Colorado State 291-285--576 (E)
7 Arkansas 293-284--577 (+1)
T 8 Texas A&M 296-282--578 (+2)
T 8 Texas Tech 290-288--578 (+2)
T 10 Houston 292-295--587 (+11)
T 10 North Texas 289-298--587 (+11)
T 10 Michigan State 297-290--587 (+11)
T 13 Texas-Arlington 299-290--589 (+13)
T 13 SE Louisiana 291-298--589 (+13)
T 15 Rice 290-304--594 (+18)
T 15 Texas-San Antonio 302-292--594 (+18)
17 Texas State 301-298--599 (+23)
Fin. Top 20 Players School Score
1 Jerad Harklau Southern Methodist 65-69--134 (-10)
2 Martin Laird Colorado State 68-68--136 (-8)
3 Will Dodson Southern Methodist 72-66--138 (-6)
T 4 Greg Machtaler Brigham Young 70-69--139 (-5)
T 4 Chris Stroud Lamar 69-70--139 (-5)
T 6 Zach Mowbray Houston 71-69--140 (-4)
T 6 Andrew Dresser Texas Tech 70-70--140 (-4)
T 6 Ryan Baca Baylor 69-71--140 (-4)
T 6 Jeremy Alcorn Baylor 72-68--140 (-4)
T 6 Andrew Ruthkoski Michigan State 70-70--140 (-4)
T 6 Russell Helson Lamar 70-70--140 (-4)
T 6 *Nate Pettitt Colorado State 66-74--140 (-4)
T 13 David Tasker Texas A&M 71-70--141 (-3)
T 13 Brett Bergeron SE Louisiana 69-72--141 (-3)
T 13 Oscar Alvarez Brigham Young 73-68--141 (-3)
T 13 Aaron Choi San Diego State 68-73--141 (-3)
17 Matt Bortis Arkansas 76-66--142 (-2)
18 Aaron Goldberg San Diego State 71-72--143 (-1)
T 19 Stephen Reed Texas A&M 77-67--144 (E)
T 19 Will Doughtie Baylor 74-70--144 (E)
*Played as an individual