Round One vs. Utah
BYU overcame rainy conditions to secure its opening victory in pool play against in-state rival Utah.
“We were excited for the opportunity to play Utah in our first match, and we knew it would be a tough one,” Miller said.
David Liechty defeated Jan Farre 3 and 1 after taking the lead on the opening hole. The sophomore led by as many as four holes before closing out the match with a birdie on No. 8.
Sophomore Kihei Akina never trailed in his 2-and-1 victory over Rex Wilson, recording seven birdies.
Freshman Drake Harvey secured the Cougars’ win with a 1-up victory over Sergio Jimenez. With the match tied entering the final hole, Harvey made par while Jimenez bogeyed to give BYU its third point.
“It was incredible to watch Drake get up and down on the last hole of his match to defeat the Utes,” Miller said. “The putt he made is one we will remember for a long time.”
Sophomores Parker Bunn and Cooper Jones fell to Jack Jerge and Gabriel Palacios 2 and 1 and 3 and 2, respectively.
Round Two vs. Iowa State
Weather delays interrupted the afternoon matches before darkness suspended play with the Cougars and Cyclones tied 1-1.
Akina defeated Owen Sawyer 4 and 3 after taking an early lead. Sawyer briefly erased the deficit on the 12th hole before Akina closed out the match on No. 1.
Iowa State’s Jackson McCommon defeated Bunn 5 and 3 to even the team score.
Jones leads Ben Wheeler 1 up with three holes remaining, while Liechty is tied with Drew Hensen through 14 holes. Iowa State’s Dianchao Wu leads Harvey 2 up with three holes to play.
Second-round play will resume Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. MDT before BYU faces Arizona State in round three, scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Live scoring is available at scoreboard.com.
