CARLSBAD, Calif. — The No. 19 Cougars are tied for eighth after the opening round of the NCAA Championship on Friday at Omni La Costa Resort.
“Omni La Costa Resort is playing perfect for a National Championship right now,” said BYU Director of Golf Todd Miller. “It requires you to hit every club off the tee and control your shot shape and distance with your irons. The guys hung in there all day. The greens got a little baked out the last nine, and the team handled it well. We’re in a good position to make it past the initial cut if we can have another solid performance tomorrow.”
Tyson Shelley and Peter Kim led the Cougars, each shooting a 1-under 71 to tie for 25th individually. Shelley carded five birdies, the 10th most of any player in the field. Kim played a bogey-free opening nine and, along with Shelley, averaged a 3.70 on par 4s, which was the best mark in the individual field.
“My mindset for today’s round was to just stay locked the entire time,” Shelley said. “I didn’t play super well yesterday, so bouncing back meant a lot to me and showed that I can come out here and play just as well as anyone.”
No. 6 Oklahoma leads the team format at 8-under. No. 9 Florida State, No. 7 Florida and No. 4 Texas are tied for second at 5-under. No. 5 Arizona State, No. 1 Auburn and No. 12 Illinois are tied for fifth.
Senior Zac Jones posted a 1-over 73, tying for 47th behind 13 pars. Cole Ponich is tied for 63rd after a 2-over 74 that included three birdies. Simon Kwon shot a 4-over 76 and is tied for 107th.
The Cougars ranked second among teams in par 4 scoring, averaging even par on those holes.
BYU tees off for round two on Saturday at 9:20 a.m. MST. Follow live scoring on Scoreboard.