SEASIDE, Calif. – Santa Clara's Scott Lowe shot a bogey-free 2-under par 70 to close out Day One of the 2012 St. Mary's Invitational and sits two shots off the tournament lead. Lowe – a junior from Calgary, Alberta - highlighted an outstanding team effort for the Broncos, who out-played 10 of the 15 competing schools to place fifth heading into Tuesday morning's final round.

"Everything was solid today, nothing was exceptional but everything was solid," said Lowe, who made 30 pars and four birdies during Monday's 36 holes. "Boring golf, but at the end of the day I am going to take that for sure. It was quite foggy in the morning, which made things play a bit longer, but the sun came out in the afternoon to make the conditions almost ideal."

Lowe (pictured) posted an even-par 72 in the morning round then followed that up with a 2-under 70 at the Bayonet and Blackhorse Golf Courses just outside Monterey.

"It's a nice position to be in, I plan on keeping it the same. I know I can be here and contend and will see if I can't go out tomorrow and make some birdies," Lowe said about his approach to Tuesday's final round.

Not only did Lowe play well, Santa Clara has two freshmen, Carlos Briones and Martin Keskari at just three-over par, resting inside the top-20 through two rounds. Keskari – a member of the German National Team – matched Lowe's 2-under 70 in afternoon round, rebounding nicely from a 77 in the morning. Briones went eagle-birdie on his finishing holes and Keskari was four-under through the first nine holes this afternoon.

The talent of SCU's young players along with the ability of Lowe to contend for the tournament title has put SCU just five shots behind No. 7 Oregon, the top-ranked team entering the event.

"We are definitely getting a lot of attention from some of these teams, with them saying 'who are these guys; where did they come from," said Santa Clara Head Coach Rob Miller, who has three true freshmen in his lineup. "The coaches have been getting a kick out of it. It is very rare to play with this young of a team. It's been fun."

COMPLETE RESULTS

2012 St. Mary's Invitational
Dates (Site): Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 24-25, 2012 (Seaside, Calif.)
Host: St. Mary's College
*Field (15-teams): Oregon (7), St. Mary's (35), San Francisco (52), Kentucky (77), Florida Gulf Coast (82), Sacramento State (84), Kansas State (107), Samford (112), Loyola Marymount (113), UC Irvine (127), Fresno State (143), Cal Poly (152), Western Carolina (183), CSU Northridge (196), Santa Clara (203)
Details: 54-hole medal play. 36 holes played Monday and the final 18 holes played Tuesday. First-round tee times begin via a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Monday on each course. Final round play Tuesday gets underway at 8 a.m. on Bayonet GC.
Course(s): Bayonet and Blackhorse Golf Courses
Bayonet GC
Yardage/Par: 7,104-yards/Par 72
Blackhorse GC
Yardage/Par: 7,024-yards/Par 72
Course Website: Bayonetblackhorse.com
Course Number: (831) 899-7271
Live Scoring: GolfStat.com

*Final 2011-12 Golf Week Rankings