The Stanford men’s golf team edged out UCLA and UC-Irvine for the first-day lead by just one stroke at the Prestige at the PGA West, with 569 overall.

Enlarge
#gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/6338
Stanford Daily File Photo

Sophomore Dodge Kemmer played alongside the Cardinal yesterday at the Prestige at the PGA West. The Cardinal lead by one stroke going into today’s final round.

“There are lots of positives about today’s match,” head coach Conrad Ray said. “The guys feel good about their performance today. This was the first under-par round for the team, and having the lead going into the final round is always a plus.”

Leading the team yesterday was senior Zack Miller who came out strong for the Cardinal with 138 strokes, putting him one stroke behind the first-place holder, UC-Irvine’s Jay Choe. Miller had rounds of 71 and 67, putting him at five under par after two rounds. He shot 11 total birdies.

“The team played really well under the tough desert conditions,” Miller said. “This tournament is an endurance challenge, and the key for me is to keep my emotions as level as possible so that I will have enough energy to play the game into the afternoon.”

Not far behind Miller is senior Matt Savage who is tied for fourth with a total of 141 strokes. He got off to a rough start scoring 74 (two over par) after the first 18 holes, but shook it off and shot a 67 (five under par) in the second round.

“The seniors performed really well today, scoring two 67s for us,” Ray said. “Matt Savage is back in the line-up and had strong contributions today. Miller is always a force on the team.”

Freshman Joseph Bramlett posted a score of 144 (even par). Though he is a freshman, Bramlett certainly is not intimidated by more experienced collegiate players as he hit eight birdies and started well, scoring two under par, followed by a two over par in the second round.

“Bramlett is playing with a lot of maturity and handles himself well on the course,” Ray said. “The last couple of weeks, he has been playing with some really good golfers and I can see him as a major part of our success in the future.”

Helping out the Cardinal with his first-day score of 148 was junior Rob Grube.

“Rob Grube struggled a little today, but is the most consistent player on the team,” Ray said.

To round out the Cardinal lead, junior Daniel Lim scored 150 (six over par). Though he had a great performance today, scoring a par on most holes, he had some trouble in the first round.

Sophomore Dodge Kemmer, though not competing for the Cardinal team score, recorded a 154 (10 over par).

With the completion of the first day of the Prestige, the Cardinal are coming out strong with a lead in their third tournament of the season. Three Cardinal players were in the top 10 yesterday, with only seven strokes separating the first- and 10th-place spots.