STANFORD, Calif. – On the opening day of its 19th consecutive NCAA Men's Golf Regional Championships appearance, No. 8 Stanford blew ahead of the 13-team field by registering an astounding 9-under-par 271. Sitting six strokes better than second-place Baylor, the Cardinal received rounds of even-par or better from each of its five student-athletes.
The Cardinal is seeking a fifth regional title, and third in as many seasons, while playing host to the event at Stanford Golf Course. The par-70 course is playing at 6,727 yards for the NCAA Regional Championships.
The Cardinal won its last outing on its home course -- The Goodwin -- contested this past April.
"We're excited about the good start today, and tomorrow should prove to be a good test," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "The conditions got tougher as the day went on -- the greens got firmer and the wind came up. But we putted well on the back nine and made a lot of birdies, and hopefully we can keep it rolling."
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Monday's round featured a 5-under 65 from All-American Maverick McNealy, who grew up playing the course while being raised in nearby Portola Valley. McNealy's score was matched by Oklahoma's Brad Dalke to lead the medalist race.
With 11 career wins under his belt and chasing a school-record 12th, the standout round could be a welcoming sign of what's to come for McNealy.
"I hit the ball well today," McNealy said. "I haven't hit the ball this well since this same time during my sophomore year."
His round picked up momentum on the 483-yard, par-4 second. After hitting his drive left on the first hole and lipping out a birdie putt, his drive on the second found the middle of the fairway and he lofted a soft 5-iron to five feet. He buried the putt for the first of four birdies on the front nine. McNealy finished his round with birdies on three of the final five holes, and his seven birdies were the most of any player on the day.
Franklin Huang (-3) was two strokes behind McNealy and tied for third. Four birdies during a six-hole stretch in the middle of his round helped make him one of three Cardinal to finish in the top 10.
Huang's drive on the 351-yard, par-4 11th rested 50 yards short of the green. A nippy pitch had some hook spin to settle seven feet from the pin, which he converted into a birdie. Huang was the only Cardinal to birdie the par-4 12th.
Isaiah Salinda, tied for 10th, had 228 yards into the green on the 539-yard, par-5 seventh. He hit a 3-iron to 25 feet and made the putt to get his round going. He birdied 11 and 14, and had an eagle chance on 16 that resulted in a tap-in birdie. Salinda carded a 1-under 69.
Tied for 17th, Brandon Wu was his steady self with an even-par 70. Also tied for 17th at even-par is Viraat Badhwar, whose first birdie on the par-4 sixth came with an added surprise. His mother, who traveled to Stanford from India, arrived in time to see his tee shot on the sixth tee.
"That was the first time I had seen my mom in five months, which was cool," Badhwar said. "That got me going."
The three-day event resumes Tuesday with live results available at GoStanford.com.