The No. 23 Brigham Young University men’s golf team tied for third place at the 79th Western Intercollegiate on April 15 at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California.
The result highlights a season of consistent performances for the Cougars, who have finished fourth or better in every spring event so far. The team posted rounds of 348, 348, and 346 to finish at eight-under-par (1,042), sharing third with UNLV.
Director of golf Todd Miller said, “We have played in the western for quite a few years and have never been this consistent with our scores as a team. We had quite a few chances to have a breakout round, but even with all the tough stuff that went on, our guys stayed positive and hung in there. I feel like each tournament we play they are gaining confidence in each other.” Head coach Bruce Brockbank added, “Pasatiempo Golf Club is another great Alister MacKenzie golf course, the same designer who designed Augusta National. Playing this course so close to the Master’s always is a highlight of the year. The course was in great shape and in championship form.” Brockbank also said, “We played some great golf this week, but gave away too many shots the last two rounds. If we eliminated some of our mishits and mistakes, we had a great chance to win the event. Another strong finish for Kihei. Simon and Peter had really solid weeks as well. Tyson was also consistent with three 71’s. Jackson’s 67 today was a fantastic round and really helped the team today.”
USC claimed first place at thirteen-under-par (1,037), while Cal finished second by one stroke (1,038). Arizona and Stanford rounded out the top five.
Individually for BYU, freshman Kihei Akina placed fifth overall after carding rounds of 67-69-67 (203) for seven-under-par—his sixth top-five finish this season and tenth consecutive round under seventy strokes. Akina said about his performance: “The course played slightly differently as we progressed through our rounds. It got tough with wind in the afternoon rounds, but overall I thought I managed Pasatiempo well for my first time.” Senior Simon Kwon took fourteenth place at three-under-par (207), notching his fourth straight top-fifteen placement; Peter Kim tied for eighteenth at one-under-par (209); Tyson Shelley and Jackson Mauss shared fortieth at three-over-par; Angus Klintworth tied for seventy-third.
Miller commented on Kwon’s family legacy: “It’s always fun to have my dad out there,” he said about coaching while his father watched from outside the ropes alongside World Golf Hall of Famer Johnny Miller—Kwon’s grandfather—who won this event sixty years ago.
Looking ahead to postseason play Miller remarked: “This is a fun group of talented kids. I look forward to every tournament knowing what they’re capable of doing.” Akina added: “I can’t wait for the Big 12 tournament… Our team is trending… There are some great teams in our conference so I’m excited to see how we stack up.” The Cougars next compete April 27-29 at Prairie Dunes Country Club during their conference championship.
