Blair vaults Cougars to first place after two rounds

GOODYEAR, Ariz.–Zac Blair and Justin Keiley shot solid rounds during day two of the Desert Shootout Friday to lead the BYU men's golf team to a first-place standing.

BYU shot an even-par 284 during the second round to remain at nine-under-par for the tournament. Their 559 (-9) combined team score through 36 holes puts the Cougars in sole possession of first place, one stroke ahead of No. 20 Illinois (-8) and four strokes ahead of third-place Baylor (-5).

“We ended up shooting even-par and that was good enough to keep us in a one-shot lead,” BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. “We had a mediocre day, but our one and two guys, Zac and Justin, really were tough out there with the conditions and shooting those scores kept us in it.”

Coming off a first-round 66 (-5), Blair continued his strong play and shot a second-round 68 (-3). He remains tied for second place at eight-under-par, two strokes behind individual leader Hunter Sparks of Wichita State (-10).

Keiley had another consistent round for the Cougars, finishing the second round with a 69 (-2). At three-under-par on the tournament, Keiley currently sits in a four-way tie for seventh place.

Sophomore Devon Purser and junior Jordan Hammer shot a 72 (+1) and 75 (+4) respectively during round two. Purser is tied for 32^nd place at one-over-par through 36 holes, while Hammer is tied for 65^th at six-over-par.

Freshman Joe Parkinson shot a second-round 76 (+5) and stands in 40^th place at two-over-par.

BYU will look to capitalize on their first place standing during tomorrow’s third and final round to win their first team title of the season.

“I’m excited about the opportunity, because we’ve had chances to win, but we’ve had to come from behind,” Brockbank said. “This will be a whole different type of pressure and it will be interesting to see how some our young guys handle it.”

Individual Scores

Team Scores