Men's golf tied for seventh place at end of day one

PALM DESERT, Calif. – Following a three-month break, the Kansas men’s golf team returned to action Friday at the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate in Palm Desert, Calif. Kansas’ 4-over on the day was good for a three-way tie for seventh place heading into Saturday’s second round.
 
Despite being two strokes shy of a top-five placement, Jayhawk head coach Jamie Bermel believes his team can come out even stronger in Saturday’s second-round action.
 
“The course played as easy (Friday) as I can ever remember,” said Bermel. “We made a couple bad decisions out there and paid the price. We need to be more disciplined and patient.”
 
The Jayhawk lineup featured consistent scores from top to bottom, with four of five Jayhawks recording a 1-over 73. Leading the way was sophomore Andy Spencer, whose 1-over round was highlighted by the first Jayhawk eagle of the spring season on his ninth, holing out in just three shots on the 564-yard par-five.
 
Coming out of the turn, senior Daniel Sutton tallied a par on every hole on his back nine. Sutton ended the day with 15 pars, the most of any player in the event.
 
Senior Daniel Hudson recorded two bogeys on his first nine, but bounced back with three birdies on his back nine, making him the only Jayhawk to have three-birdies on the front or back nine. His 13 pars on the day were the second-most in the field.
 
While making his college debut, Harry Hillier’s 1-over 73 featured a team-best four birdies on the round. Only 11 players in the event recorded more birdies than the freshman from New Zealand.
 
“He played well at times, and played like freshman other times,” said Bermel. “It was good to see him post a solid score and hopefully he can continue to play solid.”
 
Junior Charlie Hillier rounded out the Jayhawk scorecard with a 4-over 76. After going even-par for his first 13 holes, four bogeys on his final five hole plagued his scorecard.
 
Making an individual appearance for the Jayhawks was junior Jake Scarrow, who had an even-par 72 that featured two birdies on both the front and the back nine.
 
With their focus locked in on a potential fourth top-3 finish on the season, Bermel knows his team has to put their foot on the gas in order to break through.
 
“The first round of the spring can be difficult,” added Bermel. “We had a couple of loose shots, be we can correct those and hopefully get after it in the next two days.”
 
Saturday’s second round action begins at 9 a.m. CT, with Kansas teeing off at 10:10 a.m. CT. Live scoring will be available at golfstat.com.
 
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