STOCKTON, Calif. – Brandon Wu carded a 5-under-par 67 to help third-seeded Stanford place fifth on Monday in the first round of the NCAA Pacific Men's Regional Golf Championships at The Reserve at Spanos Park.
The Cardinal combined for a best four-out-of-five score of 3-under 285 in the 54-hole stroke play tournament. Iowa State leads at 10-under 278, followed by Kansas (281), Alabama (282) and TCU (283).
"I think we all felt pretty good about today's first round," said Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "They guys hung in there with some early tough conditions. It was chilly and very windy."
Teeing off early, Wu started strong with birdies at the first and second holes. He added another at the par-5 fifth and turned in 3-under 33.
Wu sustained his only bogey of the round at No. 10, but followed with birdies at 12, 13 and 16. He was a combined 3-under on the par-5's and is tied for second, one stroke behind pacesetter Carl Yuan (66) of Washington.
The 67 matched Wu's third-best round of the season, topped by a 6-under 65 at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invite. It was also his 13th round in the 60's.
"Very solid round," Ray said. "His lone bogey was a three-putt from long distance."
The Cardinal received a 2-under 70 from senior Jeffrey Swegle, who fashioned four birdies and two bogeys and is tied for 13th. Senior Franklin Huang birdied two of his last three holes to shoot 73 and is tied for 37th, while junior Isaiah Salinda (75) and sophomore David Snyder (77) are tied for 52nd and 68th, respectively.
Stanford, seeking its third consecutive NCAA regional crown, begins second round play Tuesday morning. Thirteen teams are competing, with the top five and low individual not a member of an advancing school qualifying for the NCAA Championships, May 24-30 at the Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
"I think our guys felt like they left a few shots out there," said Ray. "I expect tomorrow to be a solid day with a chance to move up the leader board."
The Cardinal will play with Oregon and TCU, and tees off between 8:00 and 8:44 a.m. PT on the 10th tee.
Live scoring is available at GoStanford.com.
