EL MACERO, Calif. -- Braving the day's blustery conditions, Jesse Bratz fired a 1-under-par 71 while freshman Daniel Kim turned in an even-par 72, leading UC Davis to the team lead at its own El Macero Classic collegiate men's golf tournament at El Macero Country Club Friday.
The Aggies compiled a team score of 290, 2 over par and a single stroke ahead of Oregon State for the overall lead after the first round. Cal State Fullerton and San Francisco are tied for third at 297.
Bratz, who made birdies on 8 and 13, ended the day in a three-way tie for third place with Long Beach State's Hunter Epson and Oregon State's Spencer Tibbits, just one stroke behind co-leaders Riley Elmes of LMU and Kyosuke Hara, also of OSU. Kim put himself into a seven-way chop of sixth place with his 72.
Aggie freshman Natheethorn Teacharuangchit carded a 1-over 73 for t13th place, while sophomore Thomas Hutchison's 74 gave UC Davis a total of four players in the top 20. Hutchison overcame a rough start to his back nine with birdies on 15 and the home hole to move up the 80-player leaderboard. Shane Muldowney and individual competitor Jae Kim each shot 78s for UC Davis.
This is the sixth running of the El Macero Classic, which takes place on a par-72, 7,108-yard course just southeast of Davis. The 15-team tournament continues with 18-hole rounds on Saturday and Sunday.
2019 EL MACERO CLASSIC, DAY 1
El Macero Country Club (El Macero, Calif.)
Par 72 • 7,108 Yards
TEAM SCORES (18 holes)
1. UC Davis, 290
2. Oregon State, 291
t3. Cal State Fullerton, 297
t3. San Francisco, 297
5. Nevada, 298
6. Texas Tech, 299
7. Grand Canyon, 300
t8. Fresno State, 301
t8. Long Beach State, 301
10. Loyola Marymount, 302
t11. SMU, 305
t11. Pacific, 305
13. Washington State, 310
14. Sacramento State, 315
15. Idaho, 322
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (18 holes)
t1. Kyosuka Hara, OSU, 70
t1. Riley Elmes, LMU, 70
t3. Jesse Bratz, 71
t6. Daniel Kim, 72
t13. Natheethorn Teacharuangchit, 73
t18. Thomas Hutchison, 74
t54. Shane Muldowney, 78
t54. Jae Kim, 78
GIVE DAY: The 105th Picnic Day weekend also brings the third-annual UC Davis Give Day campaign, during which all faculty, staff, alumni, parents, students and friends of the university participate in an online fundraising campaign from noon Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday... Within athletics, each Aggie varsity team has its own campaign, as does Team Aggie, sports medicine, the Marya Welch Initiative, strength & conditioning, and Aggie EVO... Fans may contribute to men's golf by visiting giveday.ucdavis.edu/giving-day/12421/department/14737.
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.
