KĀ'ANAPALI, Maui – The University of Hawai'i men's golf team carded one of its best rounds in program history with an 11-under 273 Thursday in the opening round of the Kā'anapali Classic Collegiate Invitational at the Royal Kā'anapali Course.
The 273 total is the lowest in program history and the 11-under par score is tied for the fourth-best in relation to par.
The Rainbow Warriors currently sit in sixth place among the 20-team field. Four of the team's five members shot under par, including
Garrett Takeuchi, who shot 4-under 67 and is tied for 14
th place. The junior from Fresno, Calif., posted a career-low round that included a seven-hole stretch in which he went five-under par.
Josh Hayashida is tied for 19
th place at 3-under while
Blaze Akana and
Kolbe Irei each shot 2-under and are tied for 27
th.
Dane Watanabe is 5-over after a 76 on Thursday. The five-member squad totaled a combined 20 birdies and one eagle on the day.
Liberty leads the team standings at 22-under 262 followed by Georgia (266), San Jose State (269), East Tennessee State and Oklahoma (272). North Florida's Robbie Higgins fired an 8-under 63 to hold the lead by one stroke over a group of three.
Four other Rainbow Warriors are competing as individuals highlighted by
James Whitworth's 1-under 70. Maui native
Anson Cabello shot 1-over 72 while
Isaiah Kanno and
Tyler Ogawa carded 73 and 75, respectively.
The tournament continues with Round 2 on Friday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
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