Tucson, Ariz. (April 28, 2023) --  In Friday's opening round of the Mountain West Men's Golf Championship, the Wyoming Cowboys shot a 280 (-8) team score and are in sixth-place in the 11-team field.  Wyoming featured a balanced attack with all five players shooting between 69 (-3) to 73 (+1).  Senior Kirby Coe-Kirkham and junior Jimmy Dales led the way for the Pokes as both shot 69 (-3) to tie for 12th and are only three shots back of the individual tournament leaders.
 
Wyoming' 280 (-8) opening round is the lowest round the Cowboys have ever shot on the Catalina Course at OMNI Tucson National in 14 previous MW Championships played on the course.  UW is only eight shots out of the team lead in a closely grouped field of teams.  The Cowboys' previous best single-round score on the Catalina Course was a 281 in the final round of the 2019 MW Championship and a 281 in the final round of the 2016 Championship.
 
"We had a bit of a nervous start, but I'm proud of how the guys played thru that," said head coach Joe Jensen.  "We played hard in a very competitive field.  There were some really good scores across the field of teams today.
 
"The warm conditions are making the course play faster than when we were here in mid-March for the Arizona N.I.T., and the ball carries a little farther in the dry air.  Nice start for us, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow."
 
In addition to Coe-Kirkham's and Dales' rounds of 69 (-3), sophomore Jaren Calkins and senior Tyler Severin both shot rounds of 71 (-1) and are tied for 23rd and sophomore Patrick Azevedo posted a 73 (+1) and is tied for 34th.
 
The team leader after Friday's opening round is San Diego State.  The Aztecs fired a 272 (-16) and hold a two-shot lead over second-place UNLV.  The Rebels posted a score of 274 (-14).  New Mexico and Fresno State are tied for third at 278 (-10).  San Jose State is in fifth at 279 (-9), only one shot ahead of the sixth-place Cowboys at 280 (-8).  Wyoming holds a four-shot lead over seventh-place Colorado State at 284 (-4).  The Rams entered the tournament as the highest ranked team in the field at No. 23 in the most recent Golfstat rankings.
 
There is a four-way tie for first place in the individual competition after Day One of the championship.  Youssef Guezzale of San Diego State, Matthew Manganello of Fresno State, Zubair Firdaus of San Jose State and Caden Fioroni of UNLV are all tied at 66 (-6).
 
The second of three rounds of the Mountain West Conference Championship will be played Saturday beginning at 7 a.m., Pacific Time (8 a.m., Mountain).  Wyoming is scheduled to tee off beginning at 8:20 a.m., Pacific (9:20 a.m., Mountain) and will be paired with Colorado State.  The 2023 MW Championship will conclude on Sunday with the third and final round. 
 
The tournament is being played on the Catalina Course at the OMNI Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Ariz.  The course measures 7,194 yards and plays to a par of 72. 
 
Team Standings
1.   San Diego State                   272 (-16)
2.   UNLV                                    274 (-14)
3.   New Mexico                          278 (-10)
      Fresno State                         278 (-10)
5.   San Jose State                     279 (-9)
6.   Wyoming                             280 (-8)
7.   Colorado State                     284 (-4)
8.   Boise State                           288 (Even)
9.   Air Force                               290 (+2)
10. Nevada                                 292 (+4)
11. Utah State                             302 (+14)
 
Wyoming Cowboys' Standings
T12 Kirby Coe-Kirkham              69 (-3)
T12 Jimmy Dales                        69 (-3)
T23 Jaren Calkins                       71 (-1)
T23 Tyler Severin                        71 (-1)
T34 Patrick Azevedo                   73 (+1)