LAHAINA, Hawai'i – Wyoming senior Drew McCullough fired a career-low 63 (-8) to tie a UW program record for single-round score versus par on Friday at the Ka'anapali Collegiate Classic, putting himself atop the leaderboard in the field of 115 golfers after the first day of competition. With McCullough leading the way, the Cowboys posted a first-round score of 278 (-6) and are currently 12^th in the field of 20 teams with 36 holes remaining over the next two days.

"Drew (McCullough) played a great round," UW head coach Joe Jensen said Friday. "He played with a lot of patience and poise. It was nothing flashy. He was just playing solid. He attacked pins when he felt he could. He just looked comfortable out there. We started out flat, but we got through it and clawed our way back to the middle of a really good field. It was a solid start."

McCullough, who is currently ranked as the No. 77 men's collegiate golfer in the nation by Golfstat, dropped in a whopping nine birdies on Friday. He posted six birdies on the front nine, including three in a row and five in the span of six holes. He averaged just 2.25 strokes on par-three holes, best in the field, while his nine birdies tied for most in the field. McCullough currently holds a one-stroke lead over Collin Morikawa of California, Luis Gagne of LSU, and Brian Humphreys of Boise State.
 
McCullough's eight-under effort tied Fred Bath and senior teammate Arron Lickteig for the UW record for single-round score versus par. Bath shot a 64 (-8) at the Wyoming Cowboy Invite on Sept. 10, 1984, while Lickteig fired a 64 (-8) just a few weeks ago at the Wyoming Southern Dunes Invitational. McCullough posted just the second 63 in school history, joining Gabe Maier, who shot 63 (-7) at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic on April 4, 2011.
 
Senior Quintin Pope had a solid round on Friday, shooting 70 (-1) on the strength of three birdies. He is currently tied for 45^th place in an extremely talented field that saw 53 golfers go under par on Friday. Lickteig signed for a 72 (+1) on Friday, as did sophomore teammate Dan Starzinski, who was playing as an individual. Lickteig and Starzinski are each tied for 65^th place after day one.
 
Junior John Murdock, ranked as the No. 8 player in the nation by Golfstat, posted four bogeys over his first 11 holes on Friday but collected himself during the final seven holes. He put together a string of five pars before ending his round with two birdies for a score of 73 (+2). Murdock is currently tied for 79^th place, while senior Glenn Workman is tied for 98^th after a 75 (+4) on Friday. Freshman Carl Underwood, playing as an individual, carded a first-round 83 (+12).
 
All but six teams recorded scores under par during Friday's round at the 6,700-yard, par-71 Royal Ka'anapali Course. Golfstat's 15^th-ranked team, California, fired a first-round 266 (-18) and currently leads No. 12 LSU and No. 40 South Carolina by two strokes. No. 18 Kent State is fourth after a first-day score of 272 (-12), while West Virginia is fifth at 274 (-10).
 
Wyoming is paired with West Virginia, Ball State and Sacramento State for Saturday's second round, with a shotgun start set for 12:30 p.m. MT in Lahaina. Follow live results at the link above and stay tuned to @wyo_golf on twitter for more updates.
 
Wyoming Results
1. Drew McCullough: 63 (-8)
T45. Quintin Pope: 70 (-1)
T65. Arron Lickteig: 72 (+1)
T65. Dan Starzinski (I): 72 (+1)
T79. John Murdock: 73 (+2)
T98. Glenn Workman: 75 (+4)
115. Carl Underwood (I): 83 (+12)
 
Top Five in Team Standings
1. California: 266 (-18)
T2. LSU: 268 (-16)
T2. South Carolina: 268 (-16)
4. Kent State: 272 (-12)
5. West Virginia: 274 (-10)