BYU ends first day in fifth place at Jones Invitational

VALENCIA, California - With two top-20 finishes after the first day, BYU men's golf is in fifth place after two rounds at the Jones Invitational on Monday.

"It was just a good, solid performance all the way around," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "We just seemed to be on our game a little bit more today and are moving in the right direction. I'd love to see the guys come out and shoot our best round tomorrow and finish a lot stronger. I'm excited for Cole (Ogden). I think he has a chance to win if he plays well tomorrow."

After ending the first round in a tie for fourth place, the Cougars stayed consistent, ending the day in a tie for fifth place (+7). USC is in first place (-10) with a five stroke lead over the second place team, Kennesaw State. West Coast Conference foe and tournament host Pepperdine is in seventh place, while two other WCC teams San Diego and Pacific are in 10th (+15) and 13th (+26), respectively.

Senior Cole Ogden led BYU after the first day, shooting a team-low 70 in the second round to end the day in a tie for eighth place (-2).

"The first round I didn't play that well, but I kept it in play," Ogden said. "Short game saved me in the first round. In the second round, I started hitting it better and was happy with the way I battled. I'm looking forward to tomorrow to finish strong. We all played really well today. We didn't finish the greatest, but I thought we did a lot of good things today as a team."

After leading the team in the first round, senior Jordan Rodgers stayed in the top 20, finishing in a tie for 15th while shooting par. Junior Tommy Higham had a solid first round totalling 73. He finished the second round in a tie for 44th, shooting six-over-par.

Freshman Zach Pritchard shot eight-over-par, putting him in a tie for 52nd. Shooting nine-over-par, senior Mike Jurca ended in a tie for 58th after the first day.

The Cougars will play the final round on Tuesday starting at 7:30 a.m. PST at the Valencia Country Club. Live stats will be available on the BYU men's golf schedule page.

Jones Invitational - Feb. 23, 2015