STANFORD -- Tournament leader Oscar Alvarez extended his lead as the Cougars moved into second place at the NCAA West Regional on Friday at the Stanford University Golf Course.
A day after setting the course record, Alvarez extended his lead by one stroke after firing a one-over-par 71 in the second round. He holds a four shot lead over UCLA's Kevin Chappell, UNLV's Ryan Moore and Arizona's Nathan Lashley. The junior from Colombia finished fourth at last year's West Regional and can claim his second tournament victory of the season with solid final round on Saturday.
Once again, BYU finished their round in strong fashion. BYU was three-under over the last three holes thanks to the Cougar's ability to get up and down and make big putts down the stretch.
Top-seeded and No. 4 UNLV edged out in front of the Cougars on the second day with a sizzling three-under 278 team total. The Rebels are two-under-par for the tournament while BYU is four strokes back at two-over-par. The Mountain West Conference holds the top three spots in the tournament as 2005 MWC Champion New Mexico sits six strokes behind the Cougars in third place. Another MWC member, San Diego State, is tied for seventh place, eight strokes behind New Mexico.
"We played every bit as impressive as yesterday," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "This course is set up like playing in the U.S. Open. The rough is extremely high and the hole placements are all right on the edge of the green. It's crazy. I don't know if I've seen a golf course as challenging as this one. Despite that, our guys did an awesome job out there and found a way to put together another great round."
Along with Alvarez, BYU has three golfers among the top 11 individuals. 2005 MWC Champion Nick Becker had the low score on the day for the Cougars--a two-under-par 68. Despite hitting into the rough twice on hole No. 13 he was able to chip it in for a birdie which help give him confidence en route to the third best individual round of the tournament.
Senior Ron Harvey Jr. was once again solid as he finished the day with a one-under-par 69 and is tied with Becker for 11th place. He eagled hole No. 16 and birded his second to last hole in the second round to move to even par for the tournament. Sophomore Jake Ellison and senior Greg Machtaler both carded a six-over 76 on the day and are tied for 69th and 76th place respectively.
"We're putting well for the most part and I think that's the difference on a course like this," Brockbank said. "Par is a really, really good score on this course. If we can find a way to shoot par or a little better we have a chance to win tomorrow."
With one round to play, BYU looks to be in good position to advance to the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive season. With 15 strokes separating the Cougars and 10th place South Carolina, BYU has a chance to chase UNLV without much pressure of not advancing.
"We feel pretty good as a team," Becker said. "We know we just need to finish in the top 10 to advance, but being so close to winning the tournament really makes us want to win."
BYU will tee off early on Saturday and will be paired with UNLV and New Mexico beginning. Fans can follow the tournament live on the internet at www.golfstat.com.
TEAM RESULTS AFTER SECOND ROUND
1. UNLV 281-277--558 -2
2. BYU 278-284--562 +2
3. New Mexico 284-284--568 +8
3. Washington 286-282--568 +8
5. Pepperdine 279-292--271 +11
5. Arizona State 290-281--571 +11
7. San Diego State 286-290--576 +16
7. UCLA 288-288--576 +16
9. South Carolina 289-288--577 +17
10. USC 286-292--578 +18
11. Arizona 283-296--579 +19
12. St. Mary's 295-285--580 +20
13. Stanford 289-291--580 +20
14. Auburn 290-293--583 +23
27 TEAMS PARTICIPATING
BYU INDIVIDUAL SCORES
1. Oscar Alvarez 63-71--134 -6
T11. Nick Becker 72-68--140 E
T11. Ron Harvey Jr. 71-69--140 E
T69. Greg Machtaler 72-76--148 +8
T76. Jake Ellison 73-76--149 +9
FOR COMPLETE RESULTS SEE www.golfstat.com