Huskies Tied for Seventh After Round One At Auburn Regional

AUBURN, Ala. — The Washington men’s golf team is in a tie for seventh place after the opening round of the NCAA Auburn Regional. The team is presently four strokes out of the fifth and final qualifying spot that would earn them a trip to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale.
 
The opening round at Auburn University Club proved to be a challenging 18 holes, and only two teams finished the day under par. The course lived up to its billing as a difficult venue, something the Huskies anticipated entering tournament play.
 
“The course played as expected and it was tough out there,” said UW coach Alan Murray. “We got off to a slow start, but we played a really good back nine to keep ourselves within touching distance.”
 
Petr Hruby totaled the best score for the Huskies Monday with an even par and finds himself in a tie for 11^th place among players.
 
“Very good round from Petr,” said Murray. “His game looks good, and he managed himself well today.”
 
Teddy Lin finished the round in a tie for 26^th overall, while Bo Peng ended tied for 34^th place. Both golfers contributed solid rounds, helping lift Washington to a comfortable position from which to operate as it aims to advance from the Auburn Regional.
 
“Teddy was really steady all day and it was a good round from him,” Murray said. “Bo got off to a strong start and doubled early on, so he played well coming in, and his even par on the back nine was big.”
 
Like his Husky teammates, Taehoon Song’s performance was a key effort to helping the Dawgs remain within striking distance as an aspiring top-five finisher in this tournament. Song, tied for 42^nd overall, notched back-to-back birdies on holes 7 and 8, affirming that his game improved as the day wore on. Behind Song, Joshua Koo completed round one in a tie for 71^st place.
 
“Taehoon didn’t have the score he hoped for, but two birdies in his last three holes was big for us,” said Murray. “We needed Taehoon, so proud of him for digging deep and finishing strong.”
 
The team knows that there is room for growth over the final two days of the Auburn Regional, and there will be plenty of opportunities to close the distance with the other leaders. With an…