BYU men’s golf surged to a first-place victory behind sophomore Joe Parkinson and senior Justin Keiley, ending 2013 with a win at the Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 2.
The Cougars finished day three with a score of 280, securing their spot on top at 26-under-par, followed by Santa Clara with 19-under-par.
Joe Parkinson captured his first individual college win, shooting 13-under-par in the tournament. He was strong from the get-go, leading the tournament for all three rounds and making 17 birdies total.
“Joe has been doing well all season, and it’s not easy getting your first college win in golf,” said assistant coach Todd Miller. “He had a great tournament, and I’m very proud of him.”
The 12-team competition was not as great as it has been in past tournaments, giving the Cougars the upper-hand on the course. Three of BYU’s players finished in the top five.
Senior Justin Keiley tied for second, completing the final round at eight-under-par with 14 birdies. Junior Jordan Rogers tied in fifth place at six-under with 16 birdies in all three rounds and carded a team-best score of 67 in the final round.
“I thought we played great and it was a great way to get our first win of the season,” Miller said. “We haven’t won in the Pacific Invitational since 2006, so it was good for us.”
Steven Archibald tied for 34th place with five-over, and Jordan Hammer tied for 46th place at nine-over.
This tournament ended the fall season for these men, who will not start tournament play until the Arizona Collegiate on Jan. 27, 2014. Until then the Cougars are limited to eight hours of team practice per week to ensure a successful spring season. Each player has specific things they need to work on individually.
“The guys know what they have to do individually to get better,” Miller said. “They’ll be practicing over the winter to improve individually and help the team perform better in the spring.”
