The BYU men’s golf team remained in a fourth-place tie with Arizona State after its final day of the Allister McKenzie Invitational in Sonoma, Calif. Drawing from strong performances by Joe Parkinson and Jordan Hammer, the Cougars tied with the Sun Devils at 13-under-par and a total of 851 strokes in the Oct. 14–15 tournament.
West Coast Conference foe California took the lead with 39-under-par, followed by U.C. Davis in second place with 17-under-par and Oregon State with 14-under-par. BYU and Arizona State came in at fourth with 13-under.
The Cougars shot a combined 2-over-par in the third round to reach the combined 13-under for the tournament.
“After a great round yesterday, I hoped that would give us confidence today,” said coach Bruce Brockbank. “We had a chance and started out great in the beginning, and I think fourth place is a respectable finish.”
Joe Parkinson, who has been the consistent top-scorer for the Cougars all season, finished in a tie for seventh place with 8-under-par overall.
“The way the team finished yesterday was really good for us,” Parkinson said. “It gave us good motivation going into the day, and we brought that momentum into the round. I’ve just been able to play good golf and have been more mentally focused. I’m just trying to do everything I can to get better personally and to help my team.”
Both Parkinson and Jordan Hammer played consistent games, registering 12 birdies and one eagle each. Coach Brockbank was proud that four of five players scored in the 60’s in round two and hopes to see strong finishes in upcoming tournaments.
Hammer tied for 12th with 4-under-par, Mike Zurca and Justin Keiley both tied for 34th with 1-over, and Steven Archibald tied for 64th with 9-over.
The Cougars return for their final tournament of the fall season in Stockton, Calif., for the Pacific Invitational Oct. 31–Nov. 2.
