University of Washington
Husky Invitational (Purple)
Pereira Leads, Dawgs Five Back At Husky Invite
September 22, 2015 | Men's Golf
Husky Invite Live Scoring | Husky Individual Live Scoring
SUNCADIA, Wash. – Washington men's golf got their season underway on Monday by hosting the Husky Invitational at Tumble Creek Club at Suncadia Resort. The Dawgs are off to a solid start, led by Corey Pereira who is tied for the individual lead through 36 holes.
As a team, the Huskies are tied for second with Oregon, five shots back of Oregon State who leads at 10-over. The Dawgs and Ducks are both at 15-over, followed by USC at 16-over. Washington, Oregon and USC came into the tournament as the three nationally ranked teams, but they each trail the Beavers after the first two rounds.
On a sunny, but windy day in the Cascades, Pereira was undeterred, making eight birdies and just three bogeys on the way to rounds of 2-under 69 and 3-under 68. He is tied with Sean Crocker of USC for the overall lead, one shot better than Aaron Wise of Oregon and Conner Kumpula of Oregon State.
“Corey was almost flawless for 36 holes,” said Thurmond. “The course was really tough today. It's a very tough course as it is, but with the constant 20 mph winds, anything anywhere near par is actually a really good score. So Corey's under-par rounds are very good.”
Pereira's excellence was bolstered by Jonathan Sanders and Jordan Lu who were paired together and both played well. They are currently tied for 10th at 4-over after each shooting rounds of 1-over 72 and 3-over 74.
“I walked most of the day with Jordan and Johnathan and they played really solid,” said Thurmond.
Also paired together were Frank Garber and freshman Matt Marrese who was making his Husky debut. Both grinded through the tough conditions and had one of their two scores count for the team. Garber is currently tied for 53rd after rounds of 7-over 78 and 6-over 77, while Marrese is tied for 61st after a 77, followed by an 80.
"I thought Frank and Matt played really hard – they didn't have a good day but they sure competed hard, and we ended needing those scores that could have been a lot higher," said Thurmond. "Even a 77 on a day like today can save you a little bit."
In addition to the team tournament at Tumble Creek, five Dawgs competed in the Husky Individual at Suncadia's Prospector Golf Course. The 41-player field is led by Kevin Kwon who is even par through the first two rounds. Kwon opened with a round of 2-over 74 in the morning, but then got hot in the afternoon, making five birdies on the way to a 2-under 70. He holds a one shot lead over Zach Anderson of Washington State.
Also playing well in the Individual were sophomores Spencer Weiss and Greg Gildea. Weiss sits in fifth at 4-over after rounds of 75 and 73. Gildea is at 6-over and tied for seventh after a pair of 75's.
The rest of the group at Prospector included Chris Babcock who is tied for 14th at 11-over, while Tyler Salsbury is tied for 17th at 12-over.
The Dawgs will complete both the Husky Invitational and the Husky Individual on Tuesday with the final rounds. The Dawgs are among the final tee times off of the first tee at Tumble Creek as they look to secure their first tournament victory of the season.
“Tumble Creek, what an awesome venue,” said Thurmond. “So thankful that we get to come out here and play this tournament. They've been awesome and I think people really enjoyed the course, the resort and it has just been a really special place to be.”
