🏌️♂️ Jayhawks Tied for 1st After Opening Day in Hawai'i
MAUI, Hawai’i – The Kansas Men’s Golf team finds itself in a familiar position after the opening round of the Ka’anapali Collegiate Classic – first place.
The Jayhawks, winners of three-straight stroke play tournaments, are tied for the lead in Lahaina after shooting 16-under as a team Friday during the opening day of the three-day, 54-hole event. Kansas is tied with Boise State for the lead with Colorado (-13), Loyola Maryland (-11) and Nevada (-8) rounding out the top five.
In Friday’s opening round, senior Callum Bruce paced the Jayhawks with a five-under, 66 to open the tournament. Bruce, who is coming off a T2 finish his last time out at Quail Valley, overcame a double bogey and bogey on his card with eight birdies. He shot a bogey-free 30 on the back nine. Luke Kluver, and Harry Hillier are tied for sixth at -4. The duo both fired 68s.
Davis Cooper is also inside the Top 15 after shooting a three-under 68 and sitting in a tie for 13th entering Saturday’s second round, as is Hank Lierz, who shot a 68 as an individual. Senior Ben Sigel shot a three-over 74 and is tied for 60th.
“We got off to a solid start and then made a couple of double bogeys,” Coach Jamie Bermel said. “I give the guys credit; they kept fighting and clawing back. Callum had a very good round today. He was under par early and then gave three strokes back, but really had a nice finish to shoot five-under. Harry, Luke and David all had solid rounds as well. We need to do a better job on the par fives the next two days, but it’s a very good start to the tournament.”
Bruce, who has three-straight Top 10s entering the tournament, teed off on No. 3 and quickly went three-under through five holes with a trio of birdies. After a bogey at eight and a double bogey at nine, Bruce wasted no time regrouping. He birdied Nos. 10, 12, 15 and 17 to get to four-under. He then birdied the par-five first hole to card an opening-round 66, matching his low round of the season.
Kluver continued his streak of being at or under par in every round this season with his 67. He shot a four-under 33 on the front nine with birdies at holes three, four, seven and nine. His only bogey of the day came on No. 10, but he got it right back with a birdie at 11. He then had pars on his final seven holes.
Hillier bogeyed his opening hole, but birdied No. 6 and then eagled No. 9 to get to two-under for his round. After four straight pars, Hillier bogeyed No. 14, before rattling off three straight birdies to get to four-under for his round.
Lierz, playing his first stroke play event of the year with the Jayhawks, also eagled No. 9 and also birdied holes eight, 11 and 13 to shoot a 68.
The Jayhawks will tee off in Saturday’s second round at 1 p.m., CT. Live stats can be followed through Golfstat here.
