University of Washington
NCAA Championships
Huskies Ninth, Bixler 10th After First Round At NCAA's
May 28, 2008 | Men's Golf
May 28, 2008
First Round Results in PDF Format 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Led by an opening round score of 2-over 74 from senior Zach Bixler, Washington fired a team total of 17-over 305 to sit in ninth place after the first day of the NCAA Div. I Men's Golf Championships hosted by Purdue at the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, Wednesday.
UW is eight strokes behind co-leaders USC and UCLA who finished the first round at 9-over 297. Oklahoma State is third (10-over 298), while Clemson and Kent State are tied for fourth (13-over 301).
Bixler is tied for 10th on the individual leaderboard that is led by UCLA's Kevin Chappell (3-under 69). Besides Chappell, only two other players broke par on the difficult Kampen Course. UW sophomore Nick Taylor (3-over 75) is tied for 23rd.
Despite battling cold morning temperatures and high winds, UW opened the day in strong fashion. Junior John Wise was even through nine holes, while Bixler and Taylor were both 1-over at the turn. But the Huskies weren't able to continue that momentum down the stretch on the back nine, especially on the last two holes.
UW still finished with the third-lowest first round tally among teams that teed off in the morning and then had to wait through the early evening to see how that score of 17-over 305 would stand after all 30 teams had completed play.
"We got off to a great start," UW head coach Matt Thurmond said. "Conditions were really difficult and we were just awesome in the first nine. Even early in the second nine - we thought the toughest holes were 11, 12 and 13 - we played really well. And then...this course just keeps coming at you. In the last two holes we played terribly. But all in all, it was a pretty decent day. It's tough because we could have really had a great day if we had finished better."
Bixler, the only Husky with previous NCAA Championship experience, paced his younger teammates during the first round in steady fashion. The Richland, Wash., native finished the front nine 1-over par and the back nine 1-over par. He turned in two birdies on the back nine - on the 14th and 16th holes.
"Zach just played awesome," Thurmond said. "He makes a few putts and he shoots under par out there today. We're real proud of him, that's what you look for from your senior. Everyone is nervous on the first day at the NCAA Championships and your senior goes out there and leads the team, that's great."
Taylor was just behind Bixler, carding a 3-over 75. Taylor excelled on the front nine, sinking birdies on the sixth and eighth holes. Wise finished the day with a 5-over 77 and is tied for 53rd. Sophomore Darren Wallace carded a 7-over 79 (tied for 87th) and freshman Tze Huang Choo struggled with a 12-over 84 (tied for . 135th).
The Huskies will continue NCAA Championship play with second round action Thursday. UW will start from the 10th tee at 12:59 p.m. EST with first round partners St. Mary's and Arizona State. The third round will be held Friday with pairings based on teams' 36-hole scores. From there, the 30-team field will be cut to 15 for Saturday's final round.
2008 NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex; West Lafayette, Ind.
Par 72; 7,450 yards
First Round Leaderboard - Top 15 Teams
1. USC 297 (+9)
1. UCLA 297 (+9)
3. Oklahoma State 298 (+10)
4. Clemson 301 (+13)
4. Kent State 301 (+13)
6. Illinois 302 (+14)
6. Florida 302 (+14)
8. Georgia 303 (+15)
9. Washington 305 (+17)
10. Auburn 306 (+18)
10. Charlotte 306 (+18)
12. Stanford 309 (+21)
12. Texas A&M 309 (+21)
12. Middle Tennessee State 309 (+21)
12. Alabama 309 (+21)
First Round - Top Five Individuals
1. Kevin Chappell, UCLA 69 (-3)
2. David Markle, Kent State 70 (-2)
2. Tim Sluiter, USC 70 (-2)
4. Billy Horschel, Florida 72 (E)
4. Joel Sjoholm, Georgia State 72 (E)
4. Kyle Stanley, Clemson 72 (E)
Washington Results
T10. Zach Bixler 74 (+2)
T23. Nick Taylor 75 (+3)
T53. John Wise 77 (+5)
T87. Darren Wallace 79 (+7)
T135. Tze Huang Choo 84 (+12)
