Utah Golf Moves Up to Fourth at John Burns Intercollegiate

LIHUE, Kaia’i – Sergio Jimenez jumped up 20 spots by shooting 5-under and the University of Utah men’s golf team moved up to fourth on the leaderboard on Friday during round two at the John Burns Intercollegiate, which continued with 18 holes at the Ocean Course Hokula in Lihue, Kaia’i, Hawaii.
 
“It was extremely challenging conditions today,” said coach Garrett Clegg. “Sergio was amazing!  His round was incredible. Overall we played OK, we played great on the hard holes and didn’t capitalize on the easy holes and we’re in a great spot heading into the final round tomorrow. We will need to find a way to capitalize on the easy holes tomorrow. Overall, it was a solid day for the team.”
 
Jimenez was on his game all afternoon and that fact was evidence by six total birdies, including four on the front nine, during which he was 4-under and put up a red score on every other hole. The sophomore from Madrid added back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th to finish with a 67 that puts him 5-under for the tournament and in a tie for second. Jimenez has now carded a score of 70 or lower in four of his last five rounds.
 
Not far behind Jimenez on the leaderboard is Braxton Watts, who fought through the difficult conditions to post a 1-over 73 that kept him inside the top 10 with a share of seventh. Watts did record several bogeys, but offset nearly every one with a birdie, including three on back nine and one stretch in which he recorded three across four holes. Watts is 4-under through 36 holes and enters Saturday with a chance to secure his first top 10 finish of 2023-24.
 
Gabriel Palacios had a difficult second round and is tied for 63rd at 4-over, while Javier Barcos is tied for 75th and 5-over. Brandon Robison is sharing 82nd with six other golfers. Playing as individuals, both Go Nakatsukasa and Davis Johnson own a share of 47th.
 
Next Up
The Utes will try and continue climbing the leaderboard on Saturday, the final day of play in Hawaii.
 
FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Golf program along with tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtesGolf | Instagram: @UtesGolf).