EL MACERO, Calif. - Washington State men's golf finished the first round of the El Macero Classic, hosted by UC Davis in 13th, five strokes behind No. 50 SMU and Pacific which are tied for 11th, Friday. Junior Nicklaus Chiam, competing as an individual, is in a tie for 13th.

Chiam earned a top-15 spot after carding a 73 (+1) in the first round. Junior Scott Redelsperger led the team for the first time and currently sits in a tie for 25th with a score of 75 (+3). Just two strokes behind is senior Grant Cole (+5, 77) in a tie for 47th. Senior AJ Armstrong and sophomore Ryan Maine are tied for 66th with scores of 79 (+7). Junior Daniel Kolar rounded of the Cougars with a score of 84 (+12), placing him in a tie for 77th.

"We had some uncharacteristic mistakes today, and weren't able to get any momentum," head coach Dustin White said. "We need to stay patient and avoid trying to get it all back with one swing."

The Cougars finished the first round with a collective score of 310 (+22). Tournament-host UC Davis leads the pack in first with a score of 290 (+2). Just one stroke behind the Aggies is Oregon State (+3, 291) in second. Both CSU Fullerton and San Francisco are tied for third with scores of 297 (+9).

Riley Elmes of Loyola Marymount and Kyosuke Hara of Oregon State are tied for first with scores of 70 (-2). There is a three-way tie for third between Spencer Tibbits of Oregon State, Hunter Epson of Long Beach State and Jesse Bratz of UC Davis, all with scores of 71 (-1).

No. 48 Nevada was the only ranked team to finish the first round in the top-5, taking fifth with a score of 298 (+10). No. 10 Texas Tech (+11, 299) was just one stroke behind in sixth, and No. 50 SMU is tied for 11th with a score of 305 (+17).

 "The wind was up and made conditions tough on everyone," White said. "But we'll show up the next 36 holes and get to work."

The El Macero Classic will continue Saturday morning, with tee times beginning at 10 a.m. For live updates, visit golfstat.com. Full recaps of the day's events will be posted at wsucougars.com at the conclusion of competition.

Team Scores:
T25      Scott Redelsperger     75 (+3)
T47      Grant Cole                   77 (+5)
T66      AJ Armstrong              79 (+7)
T66      Ryan Maine                 79 (+7)
T77      Daniel Kolar                84 (+12)

Individual Scores
T13      Nicklaus Chiam           73 (+1)