LA QUINTA, Calif. – UC Davis sophomore Thomas Hutchison carded a 5-under-par 66 – the lowest by any player in the field – to move into a tie for first place after Day 2 of The Prestige Presented By Charles Schwab, held at PGA WEST's Greg Norman Course Tuesday. The Aggies also made a move in the team standings, improving by 12 strokes to a 291 total and climbing into 11th place for the tourney.
Hutchison, a mathematics major from San Jose, overcame an initial bogey on 10 to sink three birdies on each of the front and back ends of the course en route to his 66. He is tied with Stanford's Brandon Wu in the medalist race, three strokes in front of Oklahoma State's Austin Eckroat and four ahead of OSU's Viktor Hovland.
Hutchison, who has three top-10 finishes in his second collegiate season, will pursue his second tournament title of the year, along with his victory at the Windon Memorial Classic last September. His 66 on Tuesday also stands as his best round since the 64 on the opening day at the Windon.
All five UC Davis competitors improved on their Monday rounds. Senior Jesse Bratz went from a 77 in the opener to a 74 on Tuesday to finish the day in a tie for 54th place. Another Aggie senior, Tanner Hughes, improved a stroke to a 6-over 76 to pull into a tie for 60th. Freshman Daniel Kim and junior Jae Kim each cut five strokes from their respective Day 1 rounds, entering Wednesday's final in T70th (155) and 80th (160).
No. 16 LSU leads the team race with a 9-under 559 total through 36 holes, five strokes ahead of top-ranked and defending NCAA-champion Oklahoma State at 564. UC Davis enters Wednesday's final round with a 594 total, one behind Utah and East Tennessee State.
The 19th installment of the Prestige concludes with Wednesday's final round. Golfweek's live coverage of the event – a new feature in 2019 – began on Tuesday and picks up at 10 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday. Tune in by visiting Golfweek.com/ThePrestige.
THE 2019 PRESTIGE PRESENTED BY CHARLES SCHWAB
Greg Norman Course at PGA WEST (Par 71 • 7,100 yards)
TEAM SCORES (36 holes)
1. LSU, 279-280—559
2. Oklahoma State, 278-286—564
3. Pepperdine, 289-281—570
4. UCLA, 286-285—571
5. Oregon, 290-284—574
6. Stanford 'B', 291-293—584
7. Stanford, 291-294—585
8. Northwestern, 301-290—591
t9. Utah, 291-302—593
t9. East Tennessee State, 297-296—593
11. UC Davis, 303-291—594
t12. Stirling, 296-299—595
t12. Arkansas, 300-295—595
14. Notre Dame, 297-299—596
15. Iowa State, 302-299—601
16. San Diego State, 305-298—603
INDIVIDUALS (36 holes)
Leader plus UC Davis competitors
t1. Brandon Wu, Stanford, 65-70—135
t1. Thomas Hutchison, 69-66—135
t54. Jesse Bratz, 77-74—151
t60. Tanner Hughes, 77-76—153
t70. Daniel Kim, 80-75—155
81. Jae Kim, 85-80—165
ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO: Established in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
