PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – San Diego State's Leo Oyo (Tokyo, Japan) fired a 2-under-par 69 on Monday to lead the Aztec men's golf team during the opening round of the Saint Mary's Invitational at Poppy Hills Golf Club.
With his total, the SDSU sophomore finds himself in a logjam with 11 other players for ninth place heading into Tuesday's second round on the par-71, 7,002-yard course layout.
As a team, the Aztecs completed the first 18 holes in eighth place with a combined a 2-over-par 286, finishing the day three strokes behind a pair of sixth-place squads in San Francisco (-1) and Saint Mary's (-1).
Colorado State (-17) shot a blistering 267 to take control of the standings, while Brigham Young (-8) occupies the second spot, followed closely by Arizona (-6), New Mexico (-5) and Oregon State (-4).
Individually, Oyo led all SDSU starters with four birdies, including three straight conversions on holes 11-13 after opening with a par at No. 10. His first drain on the par-3, 202-yard 11th ranked as the sixth-toughest hole of the round.
Despite another make on the par-5 18th followed by seven consecutive pars on his back nine, Oyo was still at even-par for the day after a bogey on the par-3 No. 8. However, the 2019 U.S. Amateur qualifier made up for it in a big way, finishing with an eagle on the par-5, 515-yard ninth. As a result, Oyo remains five shots off the pace with 36 holes left to play.
Colorado State's Davis Bryant shot a 7-under 64 to grab a one-shot lead over Rams teammate Oscar Teiffel (-6) and Arizona's Brad Reeves (-6), while Brigham Young's defending champion Peter Kuest and Coastal Carolina's Seth Taylor are tied for fourth after each carded a 67.
The rest of the Aztec starting five was unable to post a red figure on Monday, including Christian Banke (Danville, Calif.) and Callum Bruce (Banff, Scotland), who find themselves tied for 42nd after both shot a 1-over 72.
Banke notched three birdies, including an impressive drain on the par-4, 385-yard No. 5, which ranked as the fifth-most difficult hole of the day. The SDSU junior also match Oyo with an eagle at No. 9; however, a rash of six bogeys prevented a loftier perch.
Bruce, meanwhile, played spot-free golf through the first 14 holes, highlighted by three birdies on the front nine, including back-to-back makes on the 17th and 18th greens. However, the junior transfer had his momentum derailed by a double bogey on the par-3 sixth, followed by two more bogeys at No. 7 and No. 8.
Similarly, Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif.) was a model of consistency throughout most of his round, posting a team-high 14 pars to go with a birdie on the par-5, 18th. However, the SDSU junior settled for a 73, finishing the day in a tie for 56th, thanks to a trio of bogeys on his back nine.
Rounding out the Aztec starting lineup was Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand), who completed the first 18 holes in a tie for 78th after carding an atypical 76. The SDSU junior registered 13 pars but found birdies elusive, as five bogeys emerged to sandbag his round.
Additionally, the Scarlet and Black was represented by Zihao Jin (Beijing, China), an individual competitor who matched Oyo with an opening-round 69. The Aztec junior offset three bogeys with five birdies, including a successful make o the par-4, 478-yard No. 14, which ranked as the third-toughest hole on Monday.
The Saint Mary's Invitational continues Tuesday when San Diego State tees off for the second round at 7;58 a.m. PT on hole No. 10.
Saint Mary's Invitational
Day One Results
Pebble Beach, Calif.
Poppy Hills G.C.
Par 71, 7,002 yards
Team Standings (Top 5 of 16 squads)
1. Colorado State...267 (-17)
2. Brigham Young...276 (-8)
3. Arizona...278 (-6)
4. New Mexico...279 (-5)
5. Oregon State...280 (-4)
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8. San Diego State...286 (+2)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 99 players + SDSU)
1. Davis Bryant, Colorado State...64 (-7)
T2. Oscar Teiffel, Colorado State...65 (-6)
T2. Brad Reeves, Arizona...65 (-6)
T4. Peter Kuest., Brigham Young...67 (-4)
T4. Seth Taylor, Coastal Carolina...67 (4)
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T9. Leo Oyo, SDSU...69 (-2)
T9. Zihao Jin, SDSU^...69 (-2)
T42. Christian Banke, SDSU...72 (+1)
T42. Callum Bruce, SDSU...72 (+1)
T56. Steve Sugimoto, SDSU...73 (+2)
T78. Puwit Anupansuebsai, SDSU...76 (+5)
^ - Competing as an individual
Leo Oyo Leads Men's Golf after Day One in Pebble Beach
