After finishing the first round in 10th place, the Seattle University men’s golf team posted the best combined score of the second round to move up into fifth place as play concluded Monday at the Sacramento State Invitational at the Valley Hi Country Club.
Joe Harvie (Orting, Wash.) was a steady player throughout the day, earning 15 pars in the first round as he shot 75 (+3) in the morning before collecting three birdies against just one double bogey in the afternoon for a second-round score of 71 (-1), finishing the day in a tie for 10th place at 146 (+2). Harvie is tied for the tournament lead with 29 pars after the first 36 holes.
Shane Wathanasaynee (Los Alamitos, Calif.) started and ended his first round 76 (+4) with birdies before picking up two birdies in the second round for a 73 (+1), putting him in a tie for 21st place at 149 (+5). Kyle Cornett (Mill Creek, Wash.) improved by 10 strokes from a first round 80 (+8) to a second round 70 (-2) that featured five birdies to finish the day in a tie for 32nd place at 150 (+6).
Patrick Sato (Bellevue, Wash.) also rebounded from a tough first round, shooting 79 (+7) in the morning before collecting three birdies against just two bogeys in the afternoon for a 71 (-1), joining Cornett in a tie for 32nd place at 150 (+6). Ross Kukula (Ocean Park, Wash.) shot 78 (+6) in the first round and used a birdie-eagle finish to post a second round score of 75 (+3), ending the day in a tie for 49th place at 153 (+9).
As a team, Seattle U posted an opening-round score of 308 (+20) before improving by 23 strokes with a second round 285 (-3), moving up into fifth place in the 16-team field with a 36-hole score of 593 (+17). Host school Sacramento State rose to the top of the leaderboard with a two-round score of 574 (-2), seven strokes in front of Pacific. Sacramento State’s Robert Parden took the lead with an opening-round 67 (-5), and maintained a two-stroke advantage after shooting 71 (-1) in the second round.
The third and final round of the Sacramento State Invitational will begin at 7:42 a.m., with Seattle U golfers teeing off from the first hole starting with Kukula at 8:00 a.m. and continuing every nine minutes until Harvie begins his round at 8:36 a.m.