Thanks to a top-five performance by David Torres (Armenia, Colombia) and a top-20 effort by Kyle Cornett (Mill Creek, Wash.), the Seattle University men’s golf team finds itself in fourth place after the first day of the Dash Thomas Memorial, hosted by Boise State University at The Club at SpurWing.
Torres collected an eagle and 11 birdies during Monday’s two rounds, posting scores of 70 (-1) and 69 (-2) for a cumulative score of 139 (-3), tied for fifth in the individual standings. Torres, four strokes behind tournament leader Ty Travis of Boise State, leads the field in par-five scoring at seven-under-par.
Cornett was consistent throughout the day, earning eight birdies while shooting 72 (+1) in each round to end Monday in a tie for 16th place at 144 (+2). Patrick Sato (Bellevue, Wash.) shot 74 (+3) and 75 (+4) to finish the day in a tie for 33rd place with a two-round total of 149 (+7), helped by an eagle of his own.
Luka Karaula (Zapresic, Croatia) was five-under-par on the par-five holes, improving on a first-round 78 (+7) with a second-round 73 (+2) to post a cumulative total of 151 (+9). He is tied with teammate Ross Kukula (Ocean Park, Wash.) for 41st place, as Kukula, collecting eight birdies Monday, opened with a 72 (+1) before struggling in the second round with a 79 (+8).
As a team, Seattle U posted scores of 288 (+4) and 289 (+5) to end Monday in fourth place at 577 (+9), sandwiched between fellow WAC schools Idaho in third place at 572 (+4) and Utah Valley in fifth place at 579 (+11). After an opening-round 286 (+2), Sacramento State pulled into the lead with a second-round 280 (-4) for a 36-hole total of 566 (-2), four strokes ahead of Utah State.
The third and final round of the tournament will begin Tuesday, Sept. 24, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. local time (7:30 a.m. Pacific time).