Pullman, Wash. • BYU’s golf team is one solid round away from advancing to the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships.
The Cougars added a 9-under-par 271 on Tuesday to the 272 they fired Monday and are in fourth place at 17-under 543 heading into Wednesday’s final round at Palouse Ridge Golf Club. Texas A&M is in first place at 23-under 537, followed by Oklahoma (-20) and Georgia Tech (-19).
The top five teams advance to the national finals May 23-29 at Blessings Golf Course in Fayetteville, Ark.
BYU, ranked No. 32 nationally, was in the lead for much of the day, but faltered on the final few holes.
BYU’s Rhett Rasmussen, a junior from Draper, is tied for second at 8-under after firing a 63 on Tuesday. He made eight birdies and a bogey.
Freshman Carson Lundell, who was tied for the lead after shooting a 64 on Monday, is tied for ninth after Tuesday’s even-par 70.
Junior Peter Kuest, from Fresno, Calif., shot his second-consecutive 69 and is tied for 26th. Sophomores Brock Stanger and former State Am champ Kelton Hirsch are tied for 40th at 1-over 141.
Former Weber High star Connor Howe, a freshman at Georgia Tech, shots rounds of 66 and 70 and is tied for 17th at the Pullman Regional.
Utah’s Dinkle tied for fifth at Stanford Regional
At the Stanford (Calif.) Regional, Southern Utah’s Jake Vincent and Utah’s Kyler Dunkle are competing as individuals because their respective teams did not qualify.
Dunkle, from Larkspur, Colo., is tied for fifth after rounds of 69 and 67.
Vincent, from Palm Springs, Calif., who shot a 64 on Monday to take the first-round lead, slid into a tie for 34th place after shooting a 79 on Tuesday.
Only the top finisher who is not on a team qualifies for nationals, which means Dunkle is close to punching his ticket to Arkansas as the leading individual through 36 holes of the 54-hole tournament.
