EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Utah men’s golf team closed out the first two rounds of the The Duck Invite in third place, just one stroke off the lead and Javier Barcos and Sergio Jimenez own spots in the top 10 after 36 holes at the Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
“The boys were warriors today,” said coach Garrett Clegg. “The course was hard and our players did a great job competing. I’m really proud of how we played and hung in there all day. Each of the five had awesome moments and it was fun to watch! Now, we need to be ready for another hard day tomorrow.”
Barcos posted the team’s top score through the first two rounds and he got started by picking up five birdies and closing out the first 18 holes at 2-under. The senior finished strong, as three of his five birdies were collected in the final five holes. He carried that momentum into the afternoon, adding another birdie on the 17th before tallying two more on the front nine. Barcos finished 1-over and in fifth place, concluding the first 36 holes just three strokes behind the leader.
Jimenez shined in the first round, birdieing the par-4 18th and adding another to close out the front nine. To finish his first trip around the course, he logged three more red scores over the final six holes to finish 3-under, Utah’s best round of golf of the day. Jimenez started the second round strong with a birdie and would record one more before entering the clubhouse at 4-over and 1-over for the tournament. That score is good enough to tie him for ninth.
Braxton Watts shot up the leaderboard to close out play on Monday, climbing 12 spots to finish tied for 14th. The junior shot 2-over through his first 18, then concluded round two with three birdies over the final nine holes, while shooting 2-under on the front nine to close out the first 36 holes at even par.
Brandon Robison also spent the second round moving up the standings. He shook off a difficult morning to pile up 15 pars during his second trip around the course. That, combined with two birdies, allowed him to card a 1-under 70 that moved him up 35 spots into a tie for 32nd. Gabriel Palacios is currently sharing 61st.
All these performances added up to a Utah squad that ended Monday at 5-over and posted the competition’s second-best scoring average on par-4’s and par-5’s. The Utes will enter…
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