Lundell finishes runner-up, BYU fifth at 75th Western Intercollegiate

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — BYU men’s golf fired a 7-under-par final round to finish fifth at the 75th Western Intercollegiate on Wednesday at Pasatiempo Golf Club.

“It felt great to shoot our best round of the tournament on the final day,” said BYU director of golf Todd Miller. “We had four guys post sub-par rounds which should bode well as we go into the post-season.”

Carson Lundell finished second for the second-straight year and carded the best round of the tournament on Wednesday with a bogey-free 65 in the final round. Lundell made five birdies over a six-hole stretch to lead BYU to its best finish since the John A. Burns Invitational back in February.

“I was happy to see the team come up with a big round to get us into the top-5,” said Lundell. “I personally got off to a slow start, but just stayed patient until I started to make some putts and was able to go on a run in the middle of the round. The last 6 holes were a grind. My short game was able to bail me out and keep the bogey-free round alive."

No. 9 Texas fought off No. 8 Pepperdine to take the team title by one shot. The Longhorns posted rounds of 371-357-347—1,075, while the Waves carded 370-361-345—1,076 to finish second.

No. 6 Washington shot the round of the day at 8-under for a 54-hole total of 373-376-342—1,091 to finish third, one-shot ahead of San Diego State. The Aztecs posted rounds of 379-365-348—1,092.

Four Cougars had under-par rounds on the final day for BYU's fifth top-5 finish this season. BYU posted a 54-hole total of 386-368-343—1,097 to finish solo fifth, ahead of nationally ranked No. 12 Stanford, No. 30 Arizona and No. 38 Oregon.

The Cougars are currently ranked 54th in the country and sat on the bubble coming into the week, which made the Western a potentially pivotal point in their quest to make an NCAA Regional. 

“Posting a good finish at such a tough course, in an event with a stacked field is great preparation for the conference tournament,” said Miller. “We always play tough courses at regionals and nationals, so to play Pasatiempo in difficult conditions was phenomenal preparation for the post-season.”

David Timmins finished in a tie for 13th after carding rounds of 75-74-67—216. The tournament marks Timmins best finish since finishing sixth at the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque last September.

Keanu Akina shot even-par in both the second and final rounds to finish 31st at the Western. Akina matched his three-day total from a year ago with rounds of 81-70-70—221, but improved his finish by 21 spots in 2022. 

Cole Ponich fired a final round 67 to finish in a tie for 36th at 14-over par. Ponich had rounds of 78-79-67—224 including four birdies and a single bogey in the final round.

Tyson Shelley, who competed as an individual, shot rounds of 77-81-68—226 to finish tied for 44th with teammate Max Brenchley who carded rounds of 75-75-76—226. Zac Jones rounded out the tournament for the Cougars with rounds of 84-79-74—237.

BYU returns home to host the Cougars Classic next Friday and Saturday at Riverside Country Club in Provo. Spectators are welcome to attend the event as BYU attempts to win the tournament for the 40th time in the 59-year history of the event.

Individual Leaderboard

Team Leaderboard (Top 5)

* 14-team field