BYU men's golf team starts strong at Cleveland Invitational

WESTLAKE VILLAGE -- The BYU men's golf team was holding on to third place Monday after darkness fell during the second round of the Cleveland Golf Collegiate Invitational.

After strong performances by Oscar Alvarez, Jake Ellison, and Todd Miller through 36 holes, nightfall prevented Greg Machtaler and Clay Odgen from completing the No. 20 ranked Cougars' second round.

"The guys did a good job today," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "They hung in there."

Alvarez and Ellison paced the Cougars, each shooting a 1-under-par 141. Miller was 1 over at 143. Texas' Matthew Rosenfield held the top spot individually with a 7-under-par 135.

Brockbank said he believes a little more consistency from his team will give the Cougars a chance to win the tournament.

"I'd like to see us be more consistent," he said. "We play 14 or 15 holes pretty well and then we drop off."

BYU came in sixth last year at the Cleveland while UCLA took top honors.

The tournament is held at the par-71 North Ranch Golf Course, a 6,900-yard course located in Westlake Village, Calif. Brockbank said North Ranch can be a tough course.

"It's a great course--tricky, and challenging," he said.

The Cougars are competing against a tough field of 17 clubs, including 12 that are ranked in the top 50 nationally. BYU's competition consists of the following schools: UCLA (3), TCU (6), Arizona State (8), Arkansas (13), Texas (14), California (16), Tennessee (24), USC (26), Pepperdine (28), Washington (25), Illinois (39), Stanford, Notre Dame, Alabama, Oregon, and Oregon State.

The 27 players who were unable to finish will wrap up their last holes at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The final round will begin at 8:30 a.m.