PALM DESERT, Calif. -- The BYU golf team is enjoying its best season in more than a decade with seven tournament victories already. However, the 5th-ranked Cougars have their work cut out for them if they expect to win the initial Mountain West Conference golf title.
The Cougars dug themselves a huge hole by shooting an 8-over-par 296 at the PGA West Nicklaus Golf Course Monday. That put the Cougars in a tie for third place with New Mexico, 16 shots behind UNLV. The No. 9-ranked Rebels fired an 8-under-par 280 total to take a seven-shot lead over Colorado State.UNLV's Scott Lander took the first-round lead with a 4-under-par 68, a shot better than Colorado State's Nigel Spence. Two more UNLV golfers, Jeremy Anderson and Michael Kirk, came in with 70s along with David Hearn.
BYU's top golfer Monday was Billy Harvey, who shot an even-par 72. Andy Miller, who won the WAC title as a freshman, shot a 73, while Manuel Merizalde, who won last year's WAC individual title, could only manage a 76. The Cougars' other score, in the best four-of-five format, was Scott Miller with a 75. BYU's non-counter was sophomore Todd Miller, who struggled with a 10-over-par 82.
The University of Utah tied San Diego State for sixth place after the first round at 308, a shot ahead of Air Force at 309. Wyoming stood in fifth place at 302.
Utah's Shawn Edwards is tied for seventh at 72, while Ryan Ellis and Gregg Oliphant finished at 76 and 77, respectively. The Utes had to count Clint Christiansen's 83, because Brock Padilla shot an 84.
BYU WOMEN: For the fifth time in so many years, Brigham Young's women's golf team has won the Mike Farrell Wildcat Invitational. The Cougars posted a 614 team total, followed by Weber State in second place for the fifth straight time at 630, Eastern Washington at 636, Montana at 639 and Idaho State at 654.
BYU's Carrie Summerhays won medalist honors for the second straight year carding a four-under-par 144, to set a new tournament record. She broke teammate Catalina Navarro's record of 145 set in 1997.
Jennifer Ruddy of Montana was second at 150 followed by Kristen Olsen of Idaho State at 151.