Completed Event: Men's Golf at John A. Burns Intercollegiate on February 12, 2026 , , 13th of 19
M Golf
at John A. Burns Intercollegiate
13th of 19
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Early birdies put GCU in 2nd after Day 1 of WAC Championship
4/26/2024 6:04:00 PM | Men's Golf
Lopes' Kling, O’Neill tied for 3rd overall at 2 under par
PAYSON, Ariz. – In the biggest tournament of the season, with the WAC Championship winner earning an automatic qualification to an NCAA regional, Grand Canyon began its first round Friday with arguably its best start of any tournament in recent years.
As one of the first two teams to tee off at The Golf Club at Chaparral Pines, the Lopes tallied seven birdies and an eagle through the first three holes to jump out to a 9-under-par score. On the second hole alone, four Lopes birdied with senior Matthew Pennington, the tournament's first golfer to tee off, recording an eagle.
As the weather went from partly cloudy skies to full cloud cover and winds picking up to nearly 20 miles per hour, GCU registered 16 birdies plus the eagle for the entire round and ended the day at 4 over, two shots back of first-place UT Arlington. Eight of the field's 55 golfers finished even par or better, with senior Nicky Kling and freshman Gavin O'Neill tied for third at 2 under par.
Kling shot 1 under on the front nine with birdies on Nos. 2 and 9 and finished 1 under on the back nine with three birdies between holes 12-16. O'Neill, who is playing in his first collegiate postseason tournament, rattled off four birdies between holes 2-6 and later birdied 12 to help pace the Lopes at the top of the leaderboard.
GCU seniors Tommaso Zorzetto and Craig Passmore each shot 4 over with five birdies between the two. The duo had seven pars to just one bogey over their final eight holes combined and are tied for 21st. Pennington ended his day one shot back of his senior classmates at 5 over, tallying 10 pars and one bogey over his final 11 holes.
Payson, an hour and 45 minutes northeast of campus, normally is 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the average temperature in Phoenix. Friday's round saw a change in weather quickly with forecasts calling for slight rain and near freezing temperatures at night going into Saturday's second round.
The Lopes will tee off in the final three groupings on Saturday, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
As one of the first two teams to tee off at The Golf Club at Chaparral Pines, the Lopes tallied seven birdies and an eagle through the first three holes to jump out to a 9-under-par score. On the second hole alone, four Lopes birdied with senior Matthew Pennington, the tournament's first golfer to tee off, recording an eagle.
As the weather went from partly cloudy skies to full cloud cover and winds picking up to nearly 20 miles per hour, GCU registered 16 birdies plus the eagle for the entire round and ended the day at 4 over, two shots back of first-place UT Arlington. Eight of the field's 55 golfers finished even par or better, with senior Nicky Kling and freshman Gavin O'Neill tied for third at 2 under par.
Kling shot 1 under on the front nine with birdies on Nos. 2 and 9 and finished 1 under on the back nine with three birdies between holes 12-16. O'Neill, who is playing in his first collegiate postseason tournament, rattled off four birdies between holes 2-6 and later birdied 12 to help pace the Lopes at the top of the leaderboard.
GCU seniors Tommaso Zorzetto and Craig Passmore each shot 4 over with five birdies between the two. The duo had seven pars to just one bogey over their final eight holes combined and are tied for 21st. Pennington ended his day one shot back of his senior classmates at 5 over, tallying 10 pars and one bogey over his final 11 holes.
Payson, an hour and 45 minutes northeast of campus, normally is 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the average temperature in Phoenix. Friday's round saw a change in weather quickly with forecasts calling for slight rain and near freezing temperatures at night going into Saturday's second round.
The Lopes will tee off in the final three groupings on Saturday, beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Players Mentioned
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