No. 27 BYU men’s golf team finished the first two rounds of the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational in first place at 28-under par at Silverado Country Club and Resort on Mar. 23. The Cougars posted a tournament-best score in the opening round and led by 11 shots with one round remaining.
The strong performance puts BYU in a favorable position heading into the final day of competition, highlighting their consistency and preparation throughout the season.
Director of golf Todd Miller said, “Coach Brockbank has been doing a lot of speed drills with the team during practice, and from what I watched today, it’s paying off. We made a lot of great putts in the first round. Our mental performance coach, Bobby Low, has the guys in a proactive mindset. They are sticking to their process and trying to keep their energy at a high level, even on 36-hole days.” Head coach Bruce Brockbank added, “It’s awesome to have your team come out and play as we did. To shoot 21-under in the first round, that means your guys are rolling. We hadn’t been able to put a round like that together for a little while, but I thought the guys hung in there really well and we got going to shoot a great score.”
Kihei Akina led all players individually after carding scores of 65-67 for a total of 132 (-12), making 15 birdies over two rounds and holding first place by three strokes. Akina said, “I was putting well, so that’s nice to be able to lean on that to free up the rest of my game. There is definitely more pressure when you are leading, but I’m going to try to embrace it and have fun tomorrow. Sticking to my process and what I’ve been doing well will be important to put out a good score for my team.” Tyson Shelley (67-72–139) and Peter Kim (67-72–139) tied for sixth at five under par after day one.
North Alabama finished Monday second at -17 after posting the lowest second-round score among teams. Tohoku Fukushi University and USF tied for third at -13 each while Santa Clara rounded out fifth place at -12.
Looking ahead, Miller said he is eager for Tuesday’s conclusion: “I look forward to watching them play some great golf tomorrow and finish this tournament off.” The Cougars will begin their final round Tuesday afternoon.
