DAVIS, Calif. — Returning freshman
Jacob Westberg and true freshman
Alejandro Nava opened their respective weekends with a 3-under 69 and a tie for third, while returning junior
Thomas Hutchison and returning freshman
Mark Stephens also stand among the top 25, helping the UC Davis men's golf team to second place after day one of its own El Macero Classic on Saturday at the El Macero Country Club.
In the seventh annual running of the event, the Aggies finished their opening round with a season-best 282 to stand at 6-under for the day as a team, trailing leader Saint Mary's by four shots following the first 18 holes and pacing third-place Pacific by two shots. San Francisco at 3-under for the day joined the trio as the only four teams to break par on the day.
The Gaels' 278 is tied for the second-lowest single team round in tournament history, four shots off the record set by Texas Tech in 2019, while the Aggies' 282 is tied for the eighth-lowest team round.
Saint Mary's Ethan Farnam stands atop the individual leaderboard following his 7-under 65, tying the tournament's single-round record originally set by Cal State Fullerton's Mark Anguiano in the first round of the 2014 edition.
After opening the front nine at 1-over, Westberg torched the back nine at El Macero to the tune of three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th hole, carding his second round in the 60s this season and coming up just two shots shy of his career low of 67 set in the opening round of The Prestige earlier this year.
Nava also continued his tear with his collegiate-best 69 on Saturday, opening a bogeyless 2-under on the front and ending his round with birdies on the 13th and 18th. He bested his previous career low by a single stroke, one set in the opening round at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic just five days earlier.
Hutchison and Stephens opened their days strong with three birdies apiece on the front nine before settling in an even-par for the day, while returning freshman
Lucas Carper wrapped up the starting group with a 80.
As individuals, returning sophomore
Daniel Kim finished his opening day with a 3-over 75 to stand in a tie for 45th, while returning junior
Shane Muldowney finished with a 79.
Meanwhile, at nearby Wildhorse Golf Club, the Aggies'
Michael Shaw finished with a 4-over 76 and is tied for 14th in an individuals-only event. Cal Poly's Dominick Hoover leads the pack at 5-under along with Sacramento State's Jonathan Tanihana.
Round two begins on Sunday (April 11) at 8 a.m. off the first and 10th tees. Live scoring is available via GolfStat at
http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=21241.
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