BROOKSVILLE, Fla. – Four University of Houston golfers posted sub-par rounds to lead the Cougars to a 10-under 278 and a four-stroke lead following the First Round of the American Athletic Conference Championships at Southern Hills Plantation Club on Monday afternoon.
Juniors Austyn Reily and Marcus Wochner each posted 69s to tie for second, while senior Alexander Frances and redshirt freshman Jacob Borow each posted 70s to tie for sixth.
The Cougars finished the day with a 4-stroke advantage over No. 43 SMU (282). No. 38 South Florida stood in third at 286, while Wichita State and UCF were tied for fourth at 287.
According to the best Houston records, it was the first time in school history that the Cougars posted four sub-par rounds through the first 18 holes of a Conference Championships event.
It also was the first time that four Cougars accomplished the feat in any round since Andy Sanders (71), B.J. Staten (70), Victor Schwamkrug (71) and Wade Ormsby did it in the Second Round of the 1999 Conference USA Championships at The Club at Hidden Creek in Navarre, Fla., on April 16-18, 1999.
Reily enjoyed a quick start in his first appearance at The American Championships, making birdie on four of his first seven holes. The Pottsboro, Texas, native enjoyed his first birdie of the day on No. 2 and followed that with another on No. 4.
Following a par on No. 5, he drained back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6-7 to move to 4-under. After seven straight pars, Reily endured his first bogey on No. 15 but regained the stroke with his first birdie on the back nine on the par-5 16th hole.
He joined Wochner, Albin Bergstrom (South Florida) and Ty Gingerich (Cincinnati) in a tie for second at 69.
Wochner joined Frances and Reily in the tie for second with a late surge. The first-year Cougar moved to 2-under after two birdies in a three-hole stretch on Nos. 5-7. Despite his lone bogey of the day on Nos. 12, the Holte, Denmark, native drained back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15-16 to finish with a 69.
While this is the Cougars’ first time to compete at Southern Hills Plantation Club, Wochner is no stranger to the layout. He tied for second a year ago as a member of Wichita State’s team before transferring to Houston.
Like his teammates, Frances jumped out to a quick start in his second American Championships appearance. He moved to 2-under with the team’s lone eagle of the day on the par-4 fourth hole and added birdies on No. 5 and No. 9.
Although his back nine saw three bogeys, Frances added his final birdie of the day on No. 13 to join Borow and Ollie Osborne (SMU), Dawson Lewis (Wichita State) and Egor Eroshenko (UCF) in a tie for sixth.
Making his first appearance at The American Championships, Borow moved into red numbers with his first birdie of the day on the par-5 fifth hole. The Lake Jackson, Texas, native hit a rough patch with two bogeys in a three-hole stretch at Nos. 8-10, but those would be the only blemishes on his scorecard.
Borow quickly returned to even par with a birdie on the par-4 11th hole and moved under par and remained there with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 15-16 to tie for seventh at 70.
Senior Braxton Watkins was tied for 21st at 73.
SMU’s Nathan Petronzio held the First-Round lead with a 68.
The tournament continues with the Second Round on Saturday morning.
This marks the Cougars’ first appearance at the American Athletic Conference Championships since 2019. The 2020 Championships was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Cougars were forced to miss the 2021 tournament due to protocols within their program.
The winner of the league’ annual postseason tournament receives an automatic bid to NCAA Regional play, set for May 16-18 at one of six sites across the nation.
LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the American Athletic Conference Championships by clicking here.
WATCH SUNDAY’S FINAL ROUND
Fans can watch Sunday’s Final Round at the American Athletic Conference Championships on ESPN+ by clicking here beginning at 9:50 a.m. (CDT).
Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Ed Clements (analyst) and Morgan Uber (reporter) will call the action.
PAIRINGS
For Saturday’s Second Round, the Cougars will compete in pairs with student-athletes from SMU and South Florida, beginning at 8:40 a.m. (CDT) off No. 1
Watkins begins the day for the Cougars at 8:40 a.m. (CDT), with Borow (8:50 a.m. CDT), Frances (9 a.m. CDT), Reily (9:10 a.m. CDT) and Wochner (9:20 a.m. CDT) following.
Fans can find complete pairings by clicking here.
HOUSTON in CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
Houston Men’s Golf enjoys a rich history in conference championships. The Cougars have recorded 20 team conference titles with 21 individual medalists, dating back to 1951 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Cougars captured the 2013 Conference USA Championship title at Texarkana Country Club in 2013. Michael Perras is the most recent Cougar to win a conference championships individual title, earning medalist honors on the first hole of a playoff on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Coast, Fla., on April 26-27, 2017.
In its most recent appearance at the American Athletic Conference Championships, Houston finished ninth on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Coast, Fla., on April 21-23, 2019.
UP NEXT
Following the American Athletic Conference Championships, the Cougars will learn their NCAA postseason fate during the NCAA Selection Show, set to air at 3 p.m., May 4, on Golf Channel.
Six NCAA Regionals will be played May 16-18 at one of six sites across the nation. Those venues include Traditions Club (Bryan, Texas; hosted by Texas A&M); Champion Course – PGA National Resort (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; hosted by Florida Atlantic); The Course at Yale (New Haven, Conn.; hosted by Yale); The Reserve at Spanos Park (Stockton, Calif.; hosted by Pacific); Ol’ Colony Golf Complex (Tuscaloosa, Ala.; hosted by Alabama) and OSU Golf Club (Columbus, Ohio; hosted by Ohio State).
The top five teams and low individual not on an advancing team will advance to compete at the NCAA Championships, set for May 27-June 1 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
JOIN PROJECT 17
Fans are invited to join Project 17 to support Houston Men’s Golf. Project members provide financial support directly to Houston Men’s Golf for needs beyond the program’s operating budget.
For information about Project 17 or to join, fans can click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team’s Facebook page at UHCougarMGolf. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at uhcougarmgolf.
– UHCougars.com –
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