STOCKTON, Calif. - Washington State University freshman golfer Christian Yanagi posted an opening-round score of four-under-par, 68, Monday in the first round of the Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational. His five birdies led the Cougars to finish the day in a tie for fourth place at The Reserve at Spanos Park.
"Today was a solid day and we're going to continue to focus on ourselves and what we can control - and work to get a little better each day," said WSU Head Coach Dustin White. "Pono (Christian) played a huge role today, which is awesome for a freshman. But all five of these guys are playing hard and can contribute during any round. Tuesday is another opportunity and we're excited to keep after it."
Yanagi started off his day on fire as he carded four birdies on the front nine. Yanagi kept his solid play going on the back, firing another birdie on the 16th to finish at 68 (-4). Yanagi's career day has him holding sole possession of second place heading into the second round. Another freshman to crack the top-15 for the Cougars was Yuya Eguchi. Eguchi shot an even-par 72 after sinking four birdies on his round. With his career-best round at Washington State, Eguchi is tied for 14th heading into Tuesday.
Senior Nicklaus Chiam also had a solid day on the course, carding a 73 (+1) on the day. His five birdies were good enough to put him in a tie for 25th. Senior Daniel Kolar had two birdies on the back nine to shoot 76 (+4) and put him in a tie for 64th. Freshman Clayton Thatcher shot a 78 (+6) and is tied for 75th.
San Jose State currently leads the tournament at 282 (-6), four strokes ahead of Long Beach State and six shots better than Sacramento State. Individually, San Jose State's Sean Yu caredean 8-under 64, four strokes ahead of Yanagi.
The second round will be a shotgun start, beginning at 8:39 Tuesday morning for the Cougars.
"Today was a solid day and we're going to continue to focus on ourselves and what we can control - and work to get a little better each day," said WSU Head Coach Dustin White. "Pono (Christian) played a huge role today, which is awesome for a freshman. But all five of these guys are playing hard and can contribute during any round. Tuesday is another opportunity and we're excited to keep after it."
Yanagi started off his day on fire as he carded four birdies on the front nine. Yanagi kept his solid play going on the back, firing another birdie on the 16th to finish at 68 (-4). Yanagi's career day has him holding sole possession of second place heading into the second round. Another freshman to crack the top-15 for the Cougars was Yuya Eguchi. Eguchi shot an even-par 72 after sinking four birdies on his round. With his career-best round at Washington State, Eguchi is tied for 14th heading into Tuesday.
Senior Nicklaus Chiam also had a solid day on the course, carding a 73 (+1) on the day. His five birdies were good enough to put him in a tie for 25th. Senior Daniel Kolar had two birdies on the back nine to shoot 76 (+4) and put him in a tie for 64th. Freshman Clayton Thatcher shot a 78 (+6) and is tied for 75th.
San Jose State currently leads the tournament at 282 (-6), four strokes ahead of Long Beach State and six shots better than Sacramento State. Individually, San Jose State's Sean Yu caredean 8-under 64, four strokes ahead of Yanagi.
The second round will be a shotgun start, beginning at 8:39 Tuesday morning for the Cougars.