Lahaina, Maui, Hawai'i (Nov. 2, 2018) -- An outstanding opening round by the Wyoming Cowboy golf team has them in 10th place out of 20 teams after the opening round of the 2018 Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational. Seven of the nine teams ahead of the Cowboys are ranked in the Top 40 teams in the nation according to the most recent GolfStat rankings, and five are ranked among the Top 27 teams in the nation.
The Cowboys opening round, 4-under par 280 has the Pokes only two strokes back of No. 27 ranked North Florida and within five strokes of No. 11 ranked Oklahoma. The No. 9 ranked Clemson Tigers lead the tournament with an opening round, 22-under par 262. The California Bears are in second place at 18-under 266. The Bears are ranked No. 26 in the nation. The No. 16 ranked Georgia Bulldogs are in third place at 16-under 268. South Carolina, ranked No. 34, and No. 39 ranked West Virginia are tied for fourth place at 13-under 271.
The Cowboys had an extremely balanced team effort in the opening round led by senior
John Murdock, who fired a 3-under par round 68 to tie for 20th. Freshman
Kirby Coe-Kirkham shot a 2-under par 69 to tie for 34th place, and sophomore
Carl Underwood was the third Cowboy to shoot an under-par round of 70 (-1). Freshman
Jimmy Dales shot a 2-over par 73, and junior
Dan Starzinski finished with a 4-over par 75. Another Wyoming freshman,
Tyler Severin, is playing as an individual. Severin, like Starzinski, opened with a 4-over par 75.
Patrick Murphy of UCLA and Zack Gordon of Clemson are tied for the individual lead, firing opening round 8-under par 63s. Cowboy Murdock is only five shots back of the leaders.
"All in all it was a really good start for us today," said head coach
Joe Jensen. "It is a special event, with a difficult field and a difficult golf course. I think maybe the best thing our guys did today was manage their emotions. For the most part, we played very steady, very balanced.
"The wind blew a little bit today, but obviously the scores were really good. It is a little different style of play, when you have to try and knife through the wind on a lot of your shots.
"This is an exceptional experience for our players. The event feels like an NCAA Regional. We played with Oklahoma and South Carolina today, and Oklahoma is ranked 11th in the country.
"We want to try and play consistently again tomorrow and continue to manage our emotions."
The second of three, 18-hole rounds will be played on Saturday, starting at 12:30 p.m., M.T. The final round will tee off on Sunday, also at 12:30 p.m., M.T.
The Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational is being hosted by the University of Hawai'i at the Ka'anapali Golf Club in Lahaina, Maui. The tournament is being played on the Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course that measures 6,700 yards and plays to a par of 71.
Team Standings From Ka'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational
1. Clemson 262 (-22)
2. California 266 (-18)
3. Georgia 268 (-16)
4. Boise State 271 (-13)
West Virginia 271 (-13)
South Carolina 271 (-13)
7. UCLA 272 (-12)
8. Oklahoma 275 (-9)
9. North Florida 278 (-6)
10. Wyoming 280 (-4)
11. Connecticut 281 (-3)
12. Gonzaga 282 (-2)
13. Sacramento State 283 (-1)
14. Washington 285 (+1)
15. Houston 286 (+2)
George Washington 286 (+2)
17. Hawaii 289 (+5)
18. Kansas 290 (+6)
Air Force 290 (+6)
20. Southern Illinois 291 (+7)
Wyoming Cowboys Individual Standings
T20
John Murdock 68 (-3)
T34
Kirby Coe-Kirkham 69 (-2)
T47
Carl Underwood 70 (-1)
T84
Jimmy Dales 73 (+2)
T100 Dan Starzinksi 75 (+4)
Wyoming Cowboys Playing as Individuals
T100
Tyler Severin 75 (+4)
