CHANDLER, Ariz. (April 8, 2019) – John Murdock is tied for the tournament lead and Dan Starzinski is in the top-20 of the 119-player field after the first two rounds of the Cowboy Classic here in Chandler, Ariz. The Cowboys as a team sit eighth among the 20 teams with a 576 (-2). Murdock shot 136 (-8) through the first two rounds, while Starzinski shot 140 (-4).
 
"Dan had a great afternoon, and John had a great afternoon," said UW director of golf Joe Jensen. "I don't want to put a lot of pressure on John, but we had very crisp conversation about how he needed to dig down. I'm proud of him, and we need to keep him in that space, too."
 
Murdock had the best first round for the Pokes, finishing three-under-par with a 69. After the first 18 holes, he sat in a tie for ninth, a position he improved after the second round of 18 holes. Starzinski found himself in a tie for 61^st after the first 18 holes, shooting two-over-par. However, an incredible second round in which he shot a six-under-par 66, shot him into the top-20 after two rounds.
 
"To put on a tournament like this with 20 teams and 120 players­, it takes a lot of people," said Jensen. "Whirlwind golf club, our sponsors Cleveland Golf and Callaway, everyone is great. I think we had a good day one. The course is in really great shape.
 
"There's a lot of moving parts, but I feel like day one went well, and I'm really appreciative of that. Running an event and coaching a team, there's a lot of things going on, so I think that went well."
 
The Cowboys' 572 (-4) team total is 14 strokes behind UCLA for the team lead. The Bruins shot 558 (-18) on the day. Cal State Fullerton is in second with a score of 560 (-16), while Grand Canyon is in third with a two-round total of 562 (-14).
 
Tyler Severin is in a tie for 49^th after two rounds after shooting 145 (+1), Kirby Coe-Kirkham shot 152 (+8) to tie for 92^nd and Carl Underwood shot 157 (+13) to tie for 11^th. The Cowboys also had two playing as individuals, and Jimmy Dales is sitting in a tie for 49^th with a 145 (+1), while Jared Edeen is in a tie for 84^th with a 150 (+6).
 
"I'm just so happy that we get to have four freshmen here to get some great experience," Jensen said. "We'll all get up early tomorrow and see if we can't put it together and have a nice event on our end."
 
The Cowboy Classic is held at the Whirlwind Golf Club here in Chandler, Ariz. It is a 7,218 yard, par-72 course.
 
The Pokes return to action tomorrow for the final round of the Cowboy Classic.
 
Team Scores
1. UCLA 275-283=558 (-18)
2. Cal State Fullerton 282-278=560 (-16)
3. Grand Canyon 291-271=562 (-14)
4. Santa Clara 281-284=565 (-11)
5. UC Davis 281-287=568 (-8)
T6. UT Arlington 283-277=570
T6. Stephen F. Austin 290-280=570 (-6)
8. Wyoming 291-281-572 (-4)
T9. Northern Colorado 290-287-577 (+1)
T9. Utah Valley 284-293-577 (+1)
T11. Southern Utah 289-290=579 (+3)
T11. UT Rio Grande Valley 296-283=579 (+3)
13. Boise State 286-295=581 (+5)
14. UC Santa Barbara 292-290=582 (+6)
T15. Weber State 288-297=585 (+9)
T15. Wichita State 290-295=585 (+9)
17. Gonzaga 293-294=587 (+11)
18. Utah State 293-299=592 (+16)
19. CSU-Northridge 305-294=599 (+23)
20. Old Dominion 305-302=607 (+31)
 
Wyoming Individual Scores
T1. John Murdock 69-67=136 (-8)
T15. Dan Starzinski 74-66=140 (-4)
T49. Tyler Severin 73-72=145 (+1)
T92. Kirby Coe-Kirkham 76-76=152 (+8)
T111. Carl Underwood 75-82=157 (+13)
 
Wyoming Players as Individuals
T49. Jimmy Dales 70-75=145 (+1)
T84. Jared Edeen 74-76=150 (+4)