May 29, 2012
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. -- The 8th-seeded Huskies combined to shoot 12-over-par 296 in the first round of the NCAA Men's Golf Championship on Tuesday, leaving them 20th on the leaderboard with 36 holes left to play. Husky Coach Matt Thurmond kept a cool head following the round and was even able to make light of the round. "We hoped we would lead by 20 after today and extend it tomorrow and the next day and win in an easy waltz, but that's not usually how it works in golf," said Thurmond. "It wasn't a very good day." Washington, who started the day on the back side of the 7,292-yard, par-71 famed Riviera Country Club, was 4-over-par among counting scores after the first nine and right in the hunt with the leaders. But things fell apart for the NCAA Norman Regional champs on the second nine. "I thought we got off to a rough start and then held strong through the turn but just kind of lost it on the back nine," is how Thurmond summarized the day.
Second-seed Alabama set the pace for the field by shooting a 1-over-par 285. They hold a three-shot lead over fellow SEC members Florida and Auburn. UCLA and Oklahoma both were 5-over and are tied for fourth. Five teams are +6 to set the first day top-10, making Washington six shots of the early projected cutline. The top-8 teams advance to match play, which begins Friday. "It is still really early," said Thurmond. "We're not going to hang our head and worry too much about it. There is a lot of golf left and we're not in too bad of a spot." Junior Charlie Hughes paced the Huskies on Tuesday. The Canadian was 1-over 72 for the round and is tied for 27th. Hughes' day actually got off on the wrong foot as he started 3-over through seven holes. He used a birdie on the long, par-5, 17th hole to get his round rolling. He stayed patient and eventually was able to right the ship.
"I knew if I started playing aggressively I could make it worse," Hughes said. "I made some pars to stop the bleeding and then I started making some birdies coming in." After Hughes, freshman Cheng-Tsung Pan turned in the next best round for the Huskies. He shot 2-over 73 and is tied for 46th. Chris Williams, the No. 4 ranked amateur in the world, had a tough time getting his game going. He shot two over during his first nine with a pair of bogeys and handful of pars before finally converting his first birdie on the first hole. From there, it went haywire for the junior and he had four bogeys and just one birdie the rest of the way. Williams ended up tied for 81st at +4. Trevor Simsby was 1-under through his first eight holes but a bogey right before the turn threw him for a loop that he could never recover from. He recorded six bogeys on his second nine and just one birdie to end up 5-over for the day. His 76 left him tied for 96th. Senior Ty Chambers was another Husky that started strong but was unable to continue it on the second nine. He was 1-over after nine but shot +9 on the back, including three double bogeys. He is +11 overall and tied for 152nd. UCLA's Anton Arboleda shot 4-under 67 to take a one shot lead after 18 holes. A total of 12 players shot under par on the day. The Huskies are scheduled to tee off at 7:50 a.m. on Wednesday from the No. 1 tee. They will again be paired with Oregon and Stanford.
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