After ending the first round in 12th place, the Seattle University men’s golf team shaved five strokes off their combined score, moving into a tie for ninth place after 36 holes Friday of the Price’s “Give ‘Em Five” Invitational, hosted by UTEP at the Butterfield Trail Golf Club.
Except for one double bogey, David Torres (Armenia, Colombia) played a solid first round, shooting 73 (+1) in the morning. However, he really showed his skills in the afternoon, using six birdies and an eagle to shoot 66 (-6) for a 36-hole total of 139 (-5), moving up from a tie for 43rd place after the first round into a tie for 10th place heading into Saturday’s final round. Torres is only three strokes behind a group of four golfers in the lead with a two-round total of 136 (-8).
Ahren Young (Renton, Wash.) posted Seattle U’s best first round with a one-under-par 71, and followed that with a second-round score of even-par 72 to end the day in a tie for 24th place at one-under-par 143. Kyle Cornett (Mill Creek, Wash.) saw improvement from the morning to the afternoon, shooting 76 (+4) and 74 (+2) for a two-round total of 150 (+6), currently in a tie for 56th place.
Luka Karaula (Zapresic, Croatia) also cut two strokes off his first-round score in the second round, posting scores of 77 (+5) and 75 (+3) to end the day in a tie for 66th place at 152 (+8). After an opening-round 72 (even), Patrick Sato (Bellevue, Wash.) struggled in the afternoon, shooting 82 (+10) in the second round to fall into a tie for 75th place with a cumulative score of 154 (+10).
As a team, Seattle University shot 292 (+4) in the first round and 287 (-1) in the second round to pull into a tie for ninth place with fellow WAC member Idaho at 579 (+3). New Mexico State has pulled out to an eight-stroke advantage after rounds of 278 (-10) and 273 (-15) led to a two-round total of 551 (-25), as the Aggies boast four players in the top 15 of the individual standings.
The third and final round of the tournament is scheduled to start Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8:00 a.m. local time (7:00 a.m. Pacific time).