PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Losing their No. 1 player and having a late fill-in at the No. 5 spot was just the beginning for Santa Clara men's golf. Things got worse when first-round play at the Saint Mary's Invitational got underway. The Broncos shot their worst round of the season ending the opening 18 holes tied with Washington State for 17th at 303.
Junior Matt McCarty tried to play through a back injury but he struggled and withdrew before the round was complete. Freshman Zack Kaneshiro was the No. 5 player in qualifying, however a hand injury forced him out of the lineup and Konrad Brauckmeyer took his slot.
"We had a rough week," head coach Rob Miller explained. "Matt tweaked his back in workouts and he felt good enough to contribute. But it was evident he wasn't himself out there. Everything went wrong today."
Playing without their No. 1, the rest of the team had a difficult time. Derek Ackerman and Nordin van Tilburg each shot 3-over 74 to lead the team. Brauckmeyer carded a 77 while Berk Harvey scored a 78. Competing in his first event of the season as an individual, Ryan Johnson carded a 79.
"Nobody played well today," Miller added. "Tomorrow's another day and we'll try and improve. You can't finish last in a field like this and recover."
BYU's Peter Kuest shot a tournament record 10-under 61 to lead the field by seven shots, helping his team to a 10-shot lead over Pepperdine after 18 holes.
Tuesday's second-round is scheduled to begin with a 7:30 a.m. PT tee time from the first hole. You can follow the action with live scoring on golfstat.com.
Santa Clara First Round Individual Results
| T46. | Derek Ackerman | 74 = 74 (+3) |
| T46. | Nordin van Tilburg | 74 = 74 (+3) |
| T82. | Konrad Brauckmeyer | 77 = 77 (+6) |
| T88. | Berk Harvey | 78 = 78 (+7) |
| T97. | Ryan Johnson (I) | 79 = 79 (+8) |
| -- | Matt McCarty | WD |
I – competing as an individual
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
• Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
• Men's Golf: Twitter | Facebook
