WAIKOLOA, Hawai'i — UC Davis junior
Thomas Hutchison fired an opening round 69 to finish at 3-under for the day and help lead the Aggies to 16th place against a star-studded field at the 29th annual Amer Ari Invitational at the Waikoloa Kings Golf Course on Thursday.
Hutchison is in a 11-way tie for 17th on the individual leaderboard, five shots off the pace of day one leader Tyler Strafaci of Georgia Tech, who was the low round of the day at 64 and holds a one-shot lead.
The Aggies, who were at one point in the top 10 on Thursday, is 1-over for the tournament as a team, but just five shots out of the top 10 against a field that features nine teams ranked in the top 30 according to the latest Golfstat rankings. UC Davis is two shots ahead of Big West rival CSUN and six shots clear of No. 25 Stanford.
Overall, the No. 2-ranked Yellow Jackets and No. 19 Texas share the team lead at 14-under for the day, one shot ahead of No. 10 Arizona State.
UC Davis' 289 on Thursday is tied for its second-lowest opening round of the season and it's lowest overall since scoring a 282 in the second round of the Marquette Intercollegiate at Erin Hills back in October.
Hutchison's 69 marked his fifth round in the 60s this season and his lowest since carding a 67 in the second round at Marquette. The San Jose, Calif., native played bogey-free golf on the back nine, finishing at 3-under, before a birdie on No. 2 had him at 4-under after 11 holes. He gave shots back on No. 7 and No. 9, posting bogeys around a birdie on No. 8 en route to his final score.
Both freshman
Jacob Westberg and sophomore
Shane Muldowney fired an opening-round 73 to finish at 1-over for the day and in a tie for 63rd. Both were even on the back nine before finishing at 1-over on the front.
Sophomore
Daniel Kim is in a tie for 80th after an opening round 74 to finish at 2-over for the day, with the highlight coming thanks to an eagle on the 513-yard par-five fourth hole. Freshman
Lucas Carper was just one shot back of his teammate following an opening round 75, playing the front nine at even-par.
29th ANNUAL AMER ARI INVITATIONAL
Waikoloa Kings Golf Course (Waikoloa, Hawai'i)
Par 72 • 7,074 Yards
TEAM SCORES (AFTER ROUND 1)
t1. Texas, 274 (-14)
t1. Georgia Tech, 274 (-14)
3. Arizona State, 275 (-13)
4. Oklahoma State, 276 (-12)
5. Texas Tech, 278 (-10)
6. Auburn, 279 (-9)
7. Pepperdine, 281 (-7)
8. Oregon, 282 (-6)
t9. USC, 284 (-4)
t9. TCU, 284 (-4)
11. Oregon State, 285 (-3)
t12. San Jose State, 286 (-2)
t12. Hawai'i, 286 (-2)
t14. Colorado, 288 (E)
t14. Osaka Gakuin University, 288 (E)
16. UC DAVIS, 289 (+1)
17. CSUN, 291 (+3)
18. Stanford, 295 (+7)
19. Hawai'i-Hilo, 298 (+10)
20. Pacific, 304 (+16)
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (AFTER DAY 1)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)
1. Tyler Strafaci, Georgia Tech, 64 (-8)
t17.
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis, 69 (-3)
t63.
Jacob Westberg, UC Davis, 73 (+1)
t63.
Shane Muldowney, UC Davis, 73 (+1)
t80.
Daniel Kim, UC Davis, 74 (+2)
t92.
Lucas Carper, UC Davis, 75 (+3)
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 Times Higher Education, and among the top 15 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
Launched 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.
