Arizona Intercollegiate
Team leaders: 1. Arizona State (286-277=563, -5); 2. Iowa State (-2, still on the course for the second round); 3. UTEP (+1, still on the course for the second round); 4. New Mexico (286-284=570, +2); Arizona (294-278, +4).
Individual leaders: 1. Max Rottluff, Arizona State, 70-65=135, -7; T2. Martin Simonsen, UTEP, 69-69=138, -4 and Jordan Rodgers, BYU, 68-70=138, -4; T4. Victor Perez, New Mexico, 71-68=139, -3 and Scott Fernandez, Iowa State, -3 (still on the course).
Lobo finishers:
T4 Victor Perez 71-68=139, -3
T7 Gavin Green 68-72=140, -2
T11 Sean Romero 70-71=141, -1
T23 Sam Saunders 75-70=145, +3
T40 Gustavo Morantes 73-74=147, +5
T54 Joe Abella 73-76=149, +7
T63 Andre Garcia 74-77=151, +9
T68 Andrej Bevins 74-78=152, +10
In Tucson, two rounds may not be enough of a sample to satisfy coach University of New Mexico men’s golf coach Glen Millican’s questions about his team entering the spring, but he is encouraged by its start.
Seniors Victor Perez is tied for fourth place at 3-under par 139 after 36 holes Monday, and the 20th-ranked Lobos are in fourth with a 2-over 570 at the 2015 spring-opening Arizona Intercollegiate. A couple of teams did not finish the second round before darkness set in.
UNM shot 286-284 in the two rounds and trails front-runner and No. 29 Arizona State (286-277=563) in the 15-team event at the Sewailo Golf Course by seven strokes. No. 43 Iowa State is second at 2 under, followed by UTEP at 1 over.
“We played solid overall,” Millican said. “We had a couple of mistakes here and there, but if we can cut down on those tomorrow, we’ll put ourselves in a position to have a good finish.”
The first 36 holes for Perez, a three-time All-Mountain West performer who struggled in the fall is especially good news for the Lobos, who are hoping to return to the NCAA Championships in 2015 after missing by a stroke last year.
“That is a real good start for Victor,” Millican said. “The course didn’t play real easy today, so to see him get off to a good start was great. Hopefully, he can keep it going.
Senior Gavin Green is tied for seventh at 2-under 140, and that might be considered a disappointment for the No. 7-ranked player in the country. He was sitting at 5-under after 17 holes of the first round on Monday morning but finished with a double-bogey.
He gave two more strokes back through the first 14 holes but birdied No. 15 to get him back into the top 10.
“Gavin had momentum early, but he said he didn’t putt real well,” Millican said. “He was able to keep it together and shoot 2 under, which was good for us.
Senior Sam Saunders shook off a 4-over 75 in the first round with a 1-under 70 in the afternoon session to post a 3-over 145 and a tie for 23rd. Saunders was unable to play golf for a six- or seven-week stretch because of injury over the winter break.
“Sam started off a 3 over after his first three holes,” Millican said, “so he did a nice job the rest of the way. It’s great to have him back and healthy.”
Newcomer Gustavo Morantes, a freshman from Venezuela who joined the team at the start of the spring semester, had a solid start with a 5-over 147 and a tie for 40th.
“I think this is his 19th day in the U.S., and second week of class,” Millican said. “I thought he handled his first two rounds of college golf pretty well.”
Sophomore Andrej Bevins shot a 10-over 152, struggling in the afternoon round with a 7-over 78.
The Lobos also had three players competing as individuals. Senior Sean Romero shot a 1-under 140 (70-71) and is tied for 11th.
“Sean had a great day,” Millican said. “It’ll be really good for us if he can keep that going.”
Junior Joe Abella (73-76) is tied for 54th at 7-over 149, and redshirt freshman Andre Garcia (74-77) is tied for 63rd at 9-over 151.
The Lobos will tee off Tuesday at 8 a.m.