TRINITY, Texas – BYU men’s golf holds a 1-shot lead through 36 holes at the Big 12 Championship. The Cougars are the only team under-par with freshman Peter Kim sharing the top spot on the individual leaderboard at 5-under-par.
“I got to walk 36 holes with Peter today and he was really impressive in every facet of the game," BYU director of Golf Todd Miller said." His chipping was on point all day, and his distance control with his irons was phenomenal. It’s always enjoyable to see your players compete at a high-level on a championship golf course. I’m really excited to watch him and the team compete the next two days.”
Kim carded six birdies enroute to a 5-under 67 in the opening round before turning in an even-par 72 on his second 18 of the day. With a 36-hole total of 5-under, the freshman holds a share of the lead with Cincinnati's Ty Gingerich.
“I feel like the best part of my game today was my distance control with my irons,” Kim said. “My favorite shot I hit today was on hole 16. I hit a soft cut 3-wood to four feet, which led to a birdie. I told myself that I would be patient today and sort of work my way into the tournament. My mentality going into today was to take this tournament as a great opportunity to compete in the Big 12 with a strong field.”
Zac Jones (69-75–144; Even) and Max Brenchley (73-72–145; +1) each sit in the top 15, with Jones tied for ninth and Brenchley tied for 12th. Cooper Jones is tied for 28th at 3-over (74-73–147), with Keanu Akina tied for 48th at 7-over (75-76–151).
As a team, the Cougars combined for 32 birdies in the first two rounds to claim the top spot heading into round three.
BYU holds a 1-shot lead over No. 17 Texas (285-291–576; Even) and a 4-shot advantage over the Oklahoma State Cowboys (295-284–579; +3).
“This was a really solid start for our team on a course we have never competed on,” Miller continued. “The next couple of days, we will feel some pressure which is what we want as we continue preparing for Regionals and Nationals.”
The Cougars will continue with the third of four rounds on Tuesday, teeing off with Texas and Oklahoma State beginning at 9:30 am CDT. Live scoring can be found on GolfStat.com.