ALPHARETTA -- After one round at the prestigious U.S. Collegiate Championship, freshman Esteban Calisto leads the Cougars tied for fifth place at 1-under-par. The team sits in 14th place at 24-over-par.
"Esteban played really well today," said BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank. "It was good to see him have such a strong round."
Despite cold weather and strong winds, Calisto shot two birdies on the back nine and one on the front to help him finish the day at 1-under-par 71.
"This course is probably the toughest we've played on this year," Calisto said. "But we are trying to have fun and not worry too much about our mistakes."
The U.S. Collegiate Championship is a 15-team tournament featuring nine of the nation's top 11 teams, including No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 UCLA and No. 5 USC. It is being held at the par-72 Lakeside Course at the Golf Club of Georgia. Tournament tees are set at 7,017 yards.
"It's a great opportunity to play on this golf course with the best teams in the nation," Brockbank said. "The neat thing about this course is that it shows golfers their weaknesses and the things they need to improve on."
With two rounds of play remaining at the U.S. Collegiate, the Cougars look to improve their score in the second round.
"We're going to keep working at it, and do the best we can," Brockbank said.