Four BYU golfers in top 20 after first day of Tucker Invitational

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Four BYU men’s golfers finished in the top 20 after two rounds, putting the team in second place overall after the first day of competition at the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"The team played really well down the stretch," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "I am thrilled this young group has a chance so early in the year to be in contention."

Junior Peter Kuest led the team in second place individually, finishing below 70 in both rounds. He opened the tournament with a 68 (-4) in the first round and led the entire field of golfers at several points during the day. A 69 (-3) in the second round gave Kuest sole possession of the second place spot and put him two strokes behind UNLV's Harry Hall in first place.

Fellow junior Rhett Rasmussen shot a 73 (+1) in the first round, but put together a comeback to finish in eighth place with a 69 (-3) in the second round. Sophomore Kelton Hirsch found himself in the top 10 during much of the first round, opening with a 71 (-1) and finished with an even 72 in the second round to finish in 19th.

Freshman Carson Lundell made his first appearance in a tournament for BYU, finishing tied with Hirsch for 19th place. He opened with a 74 (+2), but found his stroke in the second round with a 69 (-3).

Sophomore Austin Banz finished tied for 90th with an 83 (+10) and a 75 (+3). Fellow sophomore Chad Hardy is competing as an individual at the Tucker Invitational and finished 89th on the first day after hitting a 76 (+4) and 81 (+9).

West Coast Conference foes Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount are also competing in the tournament, with the Waves trailing BYU in third place and the Lions coming in at 13th. A third and final round will be played tomorrow morning, with live stats and the leaderboard on GolfStat.com.