Men's Golf 2018-19 Season Review

PROVO, Utah — The No. 43 BYU men’s golf team capped off its 2018-19 campaign with a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championship, the team’s first back-to-back appearances since the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.

The Cougars earned a bid to the NCAA Championships after shooting an 809 (-31) to finish second at the NCAA Pullman Regional. BYU’s total score proved to be the lowest 54-hole team score in program history.

BYU placed in the top five at nine of their tournaments this season, including first-place finishes at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate and the Cougar Classic. The team finished fourth at the West Coast Conference Championships before competing at the NCAA Regionals and Championships.

The 2018-19 Cougar golf team finished the year with an 853 54-hole season scoring average, tied for the lowest in team history.

West Coast Conference Player of the Year Peter Kuest had one of the most successful individual seasons in program history. Kuest finished the year with a 69.79 scoring average, the lowest ever at BYU. The junior shot a 61 (-10) in the opening round of the Saint Mary’s Invitational, which proved not only a career-low and course-record but also the second-lowest 18-hole round score in team history. In addition to taking home the WCC Player of the Year award, the Fresno, California native was named to the All-WCC First Team, the Division I PING All-America Second Team, a Division I PING All-Region honoree and ranked No. 1 in the Arnold Palmer Cup standings.

Kuest led the way for the Cougars throughout the entire season. He concluded the fall season with first-place finishes at the William H. Tucker Invitational, Pacific Invitational and Saint Mary’s Invitational while guiding the Cougars to a No. 9 NCAA ranking. The junior finished the year with 10 top-20 finishes, including two more first-place finishes at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate and Cougar Classic to give him a total of five tournament wins on the season. 

Fellow junior Rhett Rasmussen finished the season with seven top-20 finishes, including a first-place finish at the NCAA Pullman Regional. He shot back-to-back 63’s in the final two rounds at NCAA Regionals to secure the lowest 54-hole individual score in BYU history at 195 (-15). Along with Kuest, Rasmussen was also named to the All-WCC First Team and a Division I PING All-Region honoree, as well as a Division I PING All-America honorable mention. The Draper, Utah native recorded a 71.28 season scoring average which ranks top-10 in team history.

Carson Lundell earned six top-20 finishes on the year and boasted a 71.98 season scoring average during his freshman campaign. He competed in all three postseason tournaments for the Cougars, and shot a season-low 64 (-6) in the first round of the NCAA Pullman Regional.

Sophomores Kelton Hirsch and Brock Stanger also helped the Cougars during their postseason run. Hirsch shot a career-low 66 (-4) in the third round of the NCAA Pullman Regional and Stanger tied the second-lowest round of his career with a 69 (-1) in the second round of the NCAA regional.

All five of BYU’s starters will return to the team next season.