CHULA VISTA, Calif. — BYU men’s golf (280-289–569) ended the first two rounds of the R.E. Lamkin Invitational tied for fifth at 7-under par at San Diego Country Club Monday.
The Cougars had two players finish the day in the top-10, including one in the top-5. BYU got off to a strong start to the event, posting an 8-under-par in round one. The Cougars tied for third in par-3 scoring and tied for second in par-4 scoring on Monday on their way to the sixth spot.
San Diego (283-274–557) finished the day in the lead at 19-under par with one round to go. The Toreros tied for the most made eagles with three and the least bogeys carded with 24. Long Beach State (273-290–563) led the field in birdies to put it at 13-under par and second on the leaderboard, the Dirtbags have made a tournament-leading 38 birdies. San Diego State’s (279-286–565) 11-under par posting gave them third for the day, while leading all schools in par-3 and par-4 scoring. Saint Mary’s (282-286–568), at 8-under par, concluded Monday in fourth. Colorado (287-282–569) ended up sharing fifth with BYU to round out the top-5.
Kihei Akina (67-71–138) finished third on the day after playing four rounds in the Puerto Rico Open from Thursday through Sunday. Akina’s 6-under-par day consisted of a hot stretch in the first round where he made nine birdies in his last 11 holes, which included five consecutive birdies from holes 8-12. The freshman matched his lowest scoring round in his career with a 67 in round one.
“It was tough, but it took extra focus on my process today,” Akina said. "I’m proud of the finish I had today and staying mentally strong. Coaches have done a good job of making sure I am navigating the course correctly. We saw some wind today in the afternoon round, and it was tricky. I can’t wait to go to sleep, and get after it tomorrow for my team.”
Simon Kwon (68-72–140) remained two strokes behind Akina and tied for seventh with a 4-under-par scorecard. Kwon’s performance in round one resulted in a bogey-free effort.
Peter Kim (72-71–143) put up a 1-under par day on his way to being tied for 17th. Kim shined on hole two in round two with an eagle on the par-5.
Tyson Shelley (73-77–150) and Jackson Mauss (75-75–150) ended Monday sharing the 61st spot at 6-over par.
Parker Bunn (71-69–140) tied his teammate Kwon for seventh with a 4-under par showing while competing as an individual. Bunn was the only Cougar to have both of his rounds be below par. Angus Klintworth (78-73–151) also competed as an individual and sits tied for 69th at 7-over par.
BYU will tee off the final round tees on Tuesday at 9 a.m MDT. Follow live scoring on Scoreboard, with more updates on Instagram and X.