BYU in second after first round of Saint Mary’s Invitational

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — BYU men’s golf finished the day in second place after shooting an eight-under 276 Monday in the first round of the Saint Mary’s Invitational at Poppy Hills Golf Club.

“The guys played really well today,” BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank said. “We’re going to need another great round tomorrow to put some heat on the leaders.”

Peter Kuest and Kelton Hirsch both finished the first round in the top-10 individually to lead the Cougars. Kuest carded four birdies and an eagle Monday on his way to firing a team-low 67 (-4), finishing tied for fourth. Hirsch posted three birdies on the day and a first-round 69 (-2) to tie for ninth.

Carson Lundell and Cole Ponich both shot rounds of 70 (-1) to put themselves tied for 21st. Rhett Rasmussen ended the day tied for 42nd after posting a one-over 72.

Individual competitor Brock Stanger carded a hole-in-one on the 11th hole Monday en route to recording a first-round 72 (+1).

BYU heads into tomorrow’s second round nine strokes behind the current leader, Colorado State. WCC opponents San Francisco and Saint Mary’s ended the day tied for sixth, followed by Santa Clara and Pacific, which finished tied for 10th and 16th, respectively. In-state rival Utah also finished tied for 10th.

The team will play a second round of 18 holes tomorrow, followed by a third and final round on Wednesday. Live stats and the leaderboard are available at GolfStat.com.

Day One Individual Results

Day One Team Results (Top 7 Only)