FORT WORTH, Texas – The Stanford men’s golf team sits in fifth place after 36 holes Monday at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational. Just six shots off the lead, the Cardinal surged into contention in the afternoon, firing a tournament-low one-over par 281 after a morning round of 293.
Playing the legendary Colonial Country Club, nicknamed “Hogan’s Alley” in the arena of competitive golf, 12 of the nation’s finest teams were tested on the 7,204-yard, par-70 layout.
The Cardinal was paced by the impressive Maverick McNealy, who snatched medalist honors from each of Stanford’s first two events in the fall. After an uneventful morning round of 71, which included 15 pars, McNealy went out with a 4-under 31 to start the afternoon and finished with a 66. The sophomore is alone in third place heading into the final round, six shots behind the leader.
David Boote posted steady rounds of 71 and 72, cumulatively carding 29 pars, enough for a 10th-place standing. Viraat Badhwar fought off back-to-back double bogeys on his opening nine holes to card rounds of 74 and 72, which puts him in a tie for 19th.
Jim Liu bounced back from a morning 77 with a 72 in the afternoon, good for a tie for 33rd. Bradley Knox rounded out the Cardinal with a 76-76, putting him in a tie for 49th.
Stanford’s morning round included six scores of double bogey or higher, compared to only one in the afternoon. Two shots ahead of Stanford is Oklahoma, with Texas and Washington three and four shots clear, respectively.
Oregon leads the team competition, with Thomas Lim firing rounds of 66-65 to pace the Ducks. Lim holds a three shot lead for medalist honors over Washington’s Cheng-Tsung Pan.
This year’s field includes host TCU, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Oregon, Vanderbilt, USC, Washington, Georgia, Ohio State, Duke, and Stanford.
Stanford’s final round begins at 8 a.m. (CT) off of the first tee, with low man McNealy bringing up the rear at 8:36 am. Stanford will be paired with Oklahoma (4th) and Duke (6th).