LIHU‘E — Five team members from the University of San Diego carded under-par scores to increase the team lead to 23 strokes following the second day of the Kaua‘i Collegiate Cup. Ben Murray, finishing second overall on Monday, roared back
LIHU‘E — Five team members from the University of San Diego carded under-par scores to increase the team lead to 23 strokes following the second day of the Kaua‘i Collegiate Cup.
Ben Murray, finishing second overall on Monday, roared back to finish with a 6-under par 66, Tuesday, at the Puakea Golf Course.
That was good enough to give Murray the overall lead at a two-round total 134 (68-66).
T.J. Kua, one of two Kaua‘i sons playing on the University of Hawai‘i men’s golf team, finished Tuesday with a one-under par 71 to slip to an overall tie for fourth at 138 (67-71)
He was bested by fellow Hawai‘i golfer Jared Sawada who finished Tuesday’s round at 70 and a tie for eighth place at 140 (70-70).
Corey Oride, the other Kaua‘i boy on the Hawai‘i team, finished Tuesday play with a stroke improvement over his Monday outing for an overall 153 (77-76).
Paul Ito, the director of golf for Puakea Golf Course, said Oride told him he missed three putts of less than three feet.
Overall, the host University of Hawai‘i remains in a tie for second place with a three-under par 573 along with James Madison University, which got its best score from Mike Smith at 69. Smith is in the four-way tie for eighth place with Sawada (71-69-140).
Following Murray, Camden Nicholson (69-67) of the University of Utah and Joseph Harrison, carding back-to-back 68’s are tied for second at 136.
Kua is two strokes back at 138 in a three-way tie for fourth with Alex Ching (69-69-138), a former Punahou standout and now golfing for the University of San Diego, and Jason Shano (70-68-138), also from San Diego.
On Monday, San Diego had four golfers posting under-par scores for a 10-stroke team lead. That improved Tuesday when all five of the San Diego golfers posted under-par scores to increase the team lead to 26 strokes as golfers in the Kaua‘i Collegiate Invitational teed off under conditions resembling the Mainland — voggy with just a whisper of wind coming out of the Southeast.
“The funny thing is that these golfers don’t know what this course can do,” said Ito. “These are kona conditions. They should play this course under normal trade conditions.”
Golfers tee off in the final round of play starting at 8 a.m. from both the No. 10 and No. 1 tees. and Ito said the public is invited to view the collegiate athletes at no charge.
San Diego is the defending champion after taking last year’s inaugural tournament with a three-round score of 39-under 825 for the team total.
