Shintaro Ban is leading the UNLV charge through 36-holes
(UNLV Athletics Photo)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM (September 22, 2017) - After the 36-hole first day of the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate hosted by the UNM Championship Course first-place UNLV, coming off a run to the Elite Eight last year, is the only team under-par. The Rebels, ranked 12th in the country, will begin Saturday's final round 1-under and six-strokes clear of second place Washington (+5).
BYU (+10) is in third while Arizona (+13) and Colorado State (+13) are sharing fourth.
Leading the UNLV charge is senior Shintaro Ban. Coming off a third-place finish in the event last year, Ban combined rounds of 68-72 on Friday and at 4-under he is one shot off the pace being set by George Cunningham of Arizona.
During the first round, Ban played a spectacular second nine to surge into a share of the lead. Following bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4 Ban rebounded with a birdie on the 8th before really finding his stride down the stretch with birdies on Nos. 13-15 and then a closing eagle on the par-5 last.
In the second round Ban, an All-American honorable mention last year, birdied four-times and bogeyed four-times.
UNLV was helped into the lead by the play of Harry Hall (3rd; -2) and Yash Majmudar (T14 +2).
Individual leader George Cunningham tallied scores of 70-69 to post 5-under. A highly touted recruit out of high school, Cunningham was named to the All Pac-12 Second Team as a freshman but the now senior is still in search of his first collegiate title.
During round one on Friday Cunningham birdied three-times and bogeyed once while in round two he eagled once, birdied twice and bogeyed twice. Cunningham started his second round with a bang as he eagled the opening hole and then birdied the next two for a 4-under in three-hole start.
Trailing Cunningham, Ban and Hall in the individual race are Henry Lee (Washington) and Derek Castillo (Cal State Fullerton) both of whom are 1-under in a tie for fourth.
ABOUT THE
William H. Tucker Invitational
54 hole men's college tournament hosted by the
University of New Mexico. Team (best four scores
out of
five players each round) and individual competitions.
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