After the first two rounds of the Pac-12 Championships, the No. 8 Stanford men’s golf team finds itself in a fourth place but with a large gap behind the top three of No. 1 California, No. 5 UCLA and No. 6 Washington. In the individual race, sophomore Patrick Rodgers is in a 5-way tie for sixth at even par.
Despite entering the tournament feeling good about its preparation and ready to challenge the top trio, the Cardinal got off to a rough start in Monday’s first round. The team combined for a sixth-place 16-over-par 366. Rodgers was the lone Stanford golfer to break par in the opening round with a 2-under-par 68 on the Los Angeles Country Club course, leaving him tied for 10th.
Stanford fared slightly better in Monday’s second round, lowering its overall score to 361 and moving up to fourth in the team standings. Junior Cameron Wilson — a model of consistency — led the Cardinal in the afternoon frame with an even-par 70, shooting par on every hole on the back 9. Wilson, one of two Stanford golfers in the national top-40, currently sits tied for 11th in the individual race.
Although Rodgers faltered on the back nine with three bogeys, he still finished in a tie for sixth. Senior Steve Kearney and freshman David Boote vastly improved on their morning performances, lowering their combined score from 15-over to 3-over par.
Defending Pac-12 champion Andrew Yun struggled in the first two rounds, shooting 2-over and 6-over respectively, and is in a tie for 42nd place.
California leads the tournament at 5-under par, 9 strokes clear of UCLA and 14 ahead of Washington. The Huskies are 18 shots in front of Stanford.
The third round begins today at 8 a.m.