BYU begins competition at NCAA nationals

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — BYU men’s golf competed in the first round of NCAA nationals at Blessings Golf Club on Friday.

"The golf course is really difficult as you can see by the scores," BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. "Hopefully we can figure out how to play a respectable score tomorrow."

The course proved quite the challenge for the Cougars, who currently sit in 30th place after the opening round. Peter Kuest posted the best score with a 77 (+5) to put him in 69th place after the first day. Kelton Hirsch is in 129th with an 81 (+9) and the rest of the Cougars: Rhett Rasmussen, Brock Stanger and Carson Lundell are all tied for 140th with an 82 (+10) in the first round.

Fellow WCC squad Pepperdine is in 16th place at the tournament and local Kyler Dunkle from the University of Utah is currently tied for second place after shooting a 69 (-3) as an individual competitor. BYU will look to improve in the second round tomorrow, with live stats and the leaderboard found on Golfstat.