HONOLULU -- The BYU men's golf team overcame inclement weather today to shoot a nine-under-par 279 and start the John H. Burns Invitational in second place.
Senior Nick Becker fired a six-under-par 66 to lead the Cougars in the opening round and stand alone individually in second place as well. Not far behind, Jake Ellison came in with a three-under-par 69.
"It was good to see both Nick and Jake play well today," said BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank, "We always have somebody different stepping up when we need them. This is a sign of a great team."
Clay Ogden, Daniel Summerhays and Nick Killpack are tied for 35th place at even par . Freshman Robbie Fillmore is only one stroke behind at one-over-par 73. Brad Nicholson finished the day with a six-over-par 78.
"Coming out of the snow, it is nice to see this team always find a way to be in contention," Brockbank said, "Hopefully tomorrow we get some momentum and make some more putts."
Heading into the second round, UNLV leads the tournament by two shots over BYU with an 11-under-par 277. Auburn, Colorado State and Long Beach State are five shots behind the Cougars at four-under-par 284. Host Hawaii shot a 10-over 298 to finish in 19th place.
Play will continue tomorrow with an 8 am shotgun start.
TEAM SCORES
1 UNLV 277 (-11)
2 Brigham Young 279 (-9)
T3 Auburn 284 (-4)
T3 Colorado State 284 (-4)
T3 Long Beach State 284 (-4)
T6 Texas A&M 287 (-1)
T6 New Mexico 287 (-1)
T6 Denver 287 (-1)
T6 California 287 (-1)
10 Nevada 288 (E)
BYU INDIVIDUALS
2 Nick Becker 66 (-6)
T8 Jake Ellison 69 (-3)
T35 Clay Ogden 72 (E)
T35 Daniel Summerhays 72 (E)
T35 Nick Killpack* 72 (E)
T49 Robbie Fillmore 73 (+1)
T103 Brad Nicholson* 78 (+6)
* competing as an individual