Fillmore Tied For First at NCAA Regionals

ALPHARETTA -- The BYU men’s golf team got off to a solid start in the first round of the NCAA Atlanta Regional Thursday, finishing the day at +9. Senior Robbie Fillmore went 2-under-par on the day to tie for first place after the first 18 holes.

“It was decent day for us,” said BYU head coach Bruce Brockbank. “Robbie was especially clutch today. He’s been carrying us all year and did it for us again today. Now we just have to go out and play two more rounds like we did today. This is a great experience and we’re excited to be here and be in this position.”

With the top five teams at the end of three rounds advancing to the NCAA Championships, the Cougars are well positioned after day one. BYU trails only No. 4 Oklahoma State (+2), No. 20 Clemson (+3), No. 14 Georgia Tech (+7) and Georgia Southern (+8) while leading No. 9 Arizona State by one stroke.

The only unranked player out of the four golfers tied for first, Fillmore paced the field and the Cougars in the first round. The senior All-Mountain West Conference honoree notched five birdies on the way to his round of 68 on the par-70 course.

Fellow senior Brady Johnson also had a solid start to the event, going 1-over-par to tie for 13th. He had three birdies on the day and actually entered the final two holes at 2-under-par before struggling at the finish.

Another upperclassman, junior Esteban Calisto, stayed close to the leaders at +3 the first round. Freshman Zac Blair went 7-over-par on the day while sophomore Jordan Rodgers was +8.

Round two will begin Friday morning with tee times beginning at 7:50 a.m. ET.