Rasmussen leads BYU to great start at Pacific Invitational

STOCKTON, Calif. – Rhett Rasmussen led the Cougars to a great start at the Pacific Invitational Thursday, finishing the first round of the tournament tied for second after he carded 68 to shoot 4-under and birdied four holes.

"Good start for the team today," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "Nice to see Rhett step up and lead the team today. He's been struggling as of late so that surely helps us get his confidence up."

No. 29 BYU shot -7 as a team, placing the Cougars in second place after they carded 281 through the first round of play. The Cougars currently trail West Coast Conference foe No. 22 Santa Clara, which shot 9-under to edge them by two strokes. Denver ended the day not far behind BYU, claiming the third place position, shooting -6 overall.

Senior Patrick Fishburn and sophomore Peter Kuest both fired 70 to shoot 2-under, putting them in 17th place with a number of competitors. Kuest also birdied five holes through the first round.

After birding a team-leading six holes, CJ Lee is tied for 44th along with teammate Spencer Dunaway, who both carded 73 to shoot 1-over par. Kelton Hirsch in individual play is tied for 62nd place and shot 2-over par.

The Cougars will continue to play the second round of the Pacific Invitational Friday with the final round finishing up on Saturday.