MARICOPA, Ariz. (May 17, 2024) – Washington State men’s golf played the first round of the 2024 Golfweek National Golf Invitational on Friday, and is in fourth with a score of 5-under, 283 at the par 72, 7,323-yard Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.
The Cougs are four strokes behind first place Richmond who ended day one at 9-under, 279, while senior Preston Bebich was WSU’s top scorer after round one at 5-under, 67 and is in a tie for first with TCU’s Jack Beauchamp.
“We got off to an okay start today,” said Head Coach Dustin White. “We need to keep making birdies and find a way to limit some of the mistakes. Preston played really solid considering this is his first full round since conference. I like what I’m seeing and feel like we’ve got the guys that can go out and get it done the next couple days.”
Bebich had an impressive day on the course, scattering five birdies in round one. Birdies on holes three and eight in between seven pars put him 2-under through nine before back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14, and one more birdie on the 18th hole put him 5-under for the round.
Sophomore Sam Renner started slow with bogeys on three and five to sit 2-under through five holes, but he rattled off three straight birdies to finish the front nine and make the turn at 1-under. He finished with a clean back nine with eight pars and a birdie on 13 to finish the round at 2-under, 70 in a tie for ninth.
Senior Drayton Joseph birdied two of his first three holes to start the day and added one more birdie on hole seven to sit 3-under at the turn. On the back nine, he would double-bogey holes 12 and 15, but recovered with his fourth and fifth birdies of the day on 14 and 16 as he finished in a tie for 20th place, even at 72.
Senior Nate Plaster is tied for 28th at 2-over, 74 with some flashes in an up and down day one. On the front nine he birdied his first hole, double-bogeyed two, and then birdied three to get back even quickly, and then carded three bogeys and a birdie before making the turn at 2-over. But he settled in on the back nine, parring three straight holes before recording another birdie on 13 and cruising with four pars and a bogey the rest of the round.
Fifth year Pono Yanagi birdied his second hole of the day and strung together four straight pars before making the turn at 2-over. On the back nine, he carded two birdies between three bogeys and a…
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