TUCSON, Ariz. — BYU sophomore Zach Jones secured his first collegiate win at the Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate on Tuesday. BYU men’s golf (275-285-288—848) shot 16-under to finish fourth.
“Zac made it look easy out there,” said BYU director of golf Todd Miller. "He drove the ball and putted like a machine. He hit his irons flush and seemed to land the ball on his yardage every time, but the thing that impressed me most was his composure down the stretch."
Jones carded rounds of 65-69-66—200 to finish at 16-under to take home the three-shot victory over Arizona’s Cal McCoy (-13) and No. 40-ranked Ian Gilligan (-12) of Long Beach State.
"Zac’s never finished in the top-10 of a collegiate tournament and really hasn't come close to winning, but he acted like a 5th-year senior who has won five times today. It was a great week for him and I had a lot of fun watching all those putts go right into the heart of the hole."
The reigning Utah State Amateur Champion carded 20 birdies and an eagle en route to three consecutive rounds in the 60s. The sophomore’s 16-under-par showing bests his previous 54-hole mark by 13 shots and included a BYU career-low 7-under 65 in round one.
No. 11 Texas A&M (270-278-280—828) took home the team title after shooting 36-under to edge No. 22 Arizona (276-277-278—831) by three shots. Cal (278-276-287—841) finished third after posting a 23-under total with BYU (275-285-288—848) shooting 16-under to finish fourth. Long Beach State rounded out the top-5 with an 11-under total to sneak past No. 49 SMU which took sixth.
Carson Lundell shot even-par with rounds of 71-71-74—216 to finish tied for 35th, with David Timmins (69-72-76—217) finishing one shot back in a tie for 41st.
Keanu Akina tied for 45th after posting scores of 71-73-74—218 for a 2-over-par total. Tyson Shelley shot 4-over for the tournament with rounds of 70-76-74—220.
The Cougars have two weeks off before they will tee it up at the Ocean Course at Hokuala in Lihue, Hawai'i, Feb. 16-18.
Individual Leaderboard
| Place | Player | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Zac Jones | 65 | 69 | 66 | 200 | -16 |
| T-35 | Carson Lundell | 71 | 71 | 74 | 216 | E |
| T-41 | David Timmins | 69 | 72 | 76 | 217 | +1 |
| T-45 | Keanu Akina | 71 | 73 | 74 | 218 | +2 |
| T-57 | Tyson Shelley | 70 | 76 | 74 | 220 | +4 |
Team Leaderboard (Top 5)
| Place | Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | Total | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | No. 11 Texas A&M | 270 | 278 | 280 | 828 | -36 |
| 2nd | No. 22 Arizona | 276 | 277 | 278 | 831 | -33 |
| 3rd | California | 278 | 276 | 287 | 841 | -23 |
| 4th | BYU | 275 | 285 | 288 | 848 | -16 |
| 5th | Long Beach State | 285 | 280 | 288 | 853 | -11 |
*15-Team Field