BYU struggles Friday at NCAA championships, slides down team leaderboard

A day after playing by themselves and thriving at the NCAA Men’s Golf National Championships, the No. 18 seed BYU Cougars struggled Friday and have some ground to make up if they hope to make the 15-team cut after 54 holes.

In what was the official first round of the stroke-play qualifying portion of the tournament on Friday, BYU posted an 8-over 296 at La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.

Thursday, while playing alone to avoid playing on Sunday when the other 29 teams in the field will play their third rounds, BYU shot a 1-under 287 and seemed to have a good handle on the treacherous par-72 North Course.

However, only freshman Kihei Akina and senior Simon Kwon played well Friday, as Akina posted a 3-under 69 to go with the 1-under 71 he shot Thursday and Kwon matched par (72) with four birdies and four bogeys.

Akina, ranked No. 8 in the country, posted one of the day’s best rounds.

Fellow BYU freshman Parker Bunn, from South Ogden, was not as fortunate. Bunn got off to a shaky start with a bogey on the par-5 10th (BYU started on the No. 10 tee) and made only two birdies. He carded a 7 on the par-5 sixth hole.

BYU junior Peter Kim, who, like Kwon and Tyson Shelley is a product of Salt Lake City’s Skyline High, shot a 6-over 78 on Friday but the Cougars had to count it because Shelley posted a 79.

The Cougars had morning tee times Friday; Saturday, they will have afternoon tee times and begin on the No. 1 tee.

Officially, BYU’s 287 score from Thursday will be inserted into the team leaderboard after the other teams complete their rounds on Sunday. The tee boxes and pin placements on Sunday will be exactly like they were on Thursday when the Cougars played alone.

The top 15 teams when Sunday’s third round is finished will make the cut and play a fourth round Monday. The top eight teams after Monday’s round will make the match-play portion of the tournament.

BYU tied for 13th last year and has never made the match play part of the championships since the format was instituted in 2009.

The field also includes two other Utah prep golf products — Corner Canyon’s Bowen Mauss and Boston Bracken of Crimson Cliffs in St. George. Both freshmen play for No. 13 seed Arizona State.