MARANA, Ariz. – In his Pac-12 Conference Championships debut, Viraat Badhwar posted respective rounds of 72 and 70 to help put No. 3 Stanford atop the leaderboard over the 12-team field.
Badhwar was even through one round at the par-72 Gallery Golf Club and showed no signs of fatigue under the desert sun Friday. He closed with a 2-under that saw three birdies in his final back nine.
“It was fun playing some good golf with some good guys,” Badhwar said. “I holed a few, missed a few, but overall my game was good today.”
Badhwar is tied for second among individuals and trails only teammate Patrick Rodgers. Rodgers opened with a 1-under 71 and was 5-under in his second round before play was suspended due to darkness. Rodgers eagled the par-5 second and seventh, leaving a pair of holes to finish Saturday morning before embarking upon round three.
Stanford teamed to card a 362 in the first round and holds a four-shot cushion over second-place Cal. Third-place Washington is next in line at 15-over.
Cameron Wilson, Stanford’s third player in the top 10, is tied for seventh after an even-par 72 to start the day. Wilson is 1-under in his second round with one hole to complete when play resumes.
Tied for 18th is David Boote at 3-over, who was even through his first round and overcame a triple bogey on 15 to finish with a 75 in round two.
Maverick McNealy turned in consecutive rounds of 75. Jim Liu was disqualified in his first round and bounced back to contribute a 1-over 73.
Action continues Saturday morning at 7 a.m. (PT) with live results available at GoStanford.com.