Watts Owns Share of Fifth After First Two Rounds of Husky Invitational

BREMERTON, Wash. – Braxton Watts shot a 1-under 143 and owns a share of fifth place while the University of Utah men’s golf team is in ninth after 36 holes in Bremerton, Wash., where the first two rounds of the Husky Invitational were played on Monday.
 
“Javi and Braxton were really solid for us today,” said coach Garrett Clegg. “Overall, it was a horrible way to finish the day. We got off to a good start in the first round and we were going along OK, but we completely fell apart this afternoon. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and play a good round. There is an opportunity to pass a bunch of teams.”
 
Watts put together a colorful round one scorecard that included five bogeys, but he also recorded six birdies, including four on the back nine, where he was 2-under. The sophomore from Farmington, Utah finished the first 18 holes at 1-under and proceeded to play even golf in the afternoon. Watts started his second trip around the course with another birdie and recorded three more on his way to a 72 that put him in a four-way tie for fifth.
 
Javier Barcos also played his best golf in round one, shooting a even-par 72 that started and ended with a birdie and included a 1-under 35 on the front nine. While Barcos was hurt by a pair of early bogeys in round two, he was 1-under over his final 15 holes and his 1-over 145 will allow him to take a share of 18th into the final day.
 
The other three Utes in the lineup, Brandon Robison, Jesper von Reedtz and Hunter Howe, all shot 10-over through 36 holes and are among those tied for 54th. Howe and von Reedtz each posted their best scores in the morning, with Howe marking down three birdies on the back-nine for 73, while Robison sliced two shots off his first round score and carded a 76 in the afternoon.
 
As a team, the Utes ended the opening round in second at four-over before a 12-over 299 put them in ninth at day’s end. Clegg’s team has been 12-under on Par-5’s through 36 holes, tied for the tournament’s second-best mark.
 
Three more Utes have been plying their trade in the Husky Individual Invitational and Martín León and Davis Johnson find themselves just outside the top 10. Leon was 1-over in round one but finished strong in his second opportunity, closing with a 2-under 34 on the back nine. His 1-over 143 puts him in a tie for 11th.
 
Johnson is just a single…