By ROXIE DICKINSON

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Men’s golf entered the NCAA West Regional ranked No. 2 in the nation. But between the wind, heat and pressure of postseason play, many of the regional’s top teams haven’t lived up to their seeding. Stanford is fifth with two rounds left. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/7534
Alvin Chow

Men’s golf entered the NCAA West Regional ranked No. 2 in the nation. But between the wind, heat and pressure of postseason play, many of the regional’s top teams haven’t lived up to their seeding. Stanford is fifth with two rounds left.

STAFF WRITER

The No. 2 Stanford men’s golf team had a tough time yesterday in the first of the NCAA Regionals’ three rounds. The Cardinal, which entered as the West Regional’s top seed, suffered through a grueling 18 holes and 100-degree temperatures in Tempe, Ariz. only to emerge tied for fifth.

Still, with the top ten schools advancing to the NCAA Championships, Stanford likes where it stands just fine.

“I feel pretty good about the way things went today,” head coach Conrad Ray said. “There are three rounds in this tournament, and if we can do what we did today in the next two, we will be in good shape.”

It may seem that the leaderboard is suffering from dyslexia, but it’s true: No. 33 South Carolina is in second, just five strokes behind the leader, No. 8 UCLA. And yes, No. 19 Arizona State and unseeded New Mexico are tied for third — ahead of Stanford. In a championship golf tournament — especially one in 100-degree heat — anything can happen.

Zack Miller leads the Cardinal and is tied for seventh overall. The senior shot a five-under-par 67, notching an unbelievable two eagles and two birdies. Only three strokes separate Miller from individual leader Erik Flores of UCLA.

Two strokes behind Miller is junior Rob Grube, tied for 21st individually at a three-under-par 69. Following him is senior Matt Savage, who scored a 70 on the strength of four birdies.

“I played pretty well but I did leave quite a few strokes out there.” Savage said. “In general, we had a solid first round. The heat was tough out there today but tomorrow’s early tee time will give us a chance to go low. If we all continue to keep our scores low, hopefully we can move up the leaderboard.”

Freshman Joseph Bramlett shot a one-under-par 71 in his first NCAA tournament, while sophomore Daniel Lim’s 72 brings up the rear.

No Stanford golfers ended on the wrong side of par, despite the wind and the pressure of the looming NCAA Championships. Two rounds remain to be played today and tomorrow, though, and could bring more challenges for the Cardinal.

“I think today was a good start to the tournament.” Miller said. “We were out in the sun for about five hours because we had to tee off in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be a lot more conducive to low scoring because we will be teeing off in the morning. The heat is just another element that we have to think about because the climate at Stanford is radically different than Arizona. I think that the guys were a little disappointed, but tomorrow is another day.”

Contact Roxie Dickinson at roxie221@stanford.edu.