Both BYU teams grab lead at PING Cougar Classic

PROVO, Utah—The BYU men’s golf team took advantage of fielding two teams as the Cougars “A” and “B” teams finished first and second, respectively,  through two rounds at the PING Cougar Classic.

“We had a really tough time deciding between who would play on the A or B team,” BYU assistant coach Todd Miller said. “Bruce (Brockbank) and I knew going in that there was a chance that our B could beat our A.”

After one day of action the A team is ahead by one stroke. After shooting a first round 2-over 290, they stormed into the lead with a second round 4-under 284 to grab the lead.

Zac Blair led the way for the A team after shooting rounds of 70 and 71, good for a 3-under 141. Blair is tied for fourth.

While Blair was the highlight of the A team, Mike Jurca was the brightest spot for the Cougars on day one. Jurca shot eight birdies along with three bogies in the first two rounds, carding a 5-under 139 good for first place overall.

“Mike has been playing fabulous golf for the last month,” Miller said “We had a good feeling that he was going to play well during the tournament.”

Jurca, who recently returned from a mission, is playing in his first tournament of his BYU career. Prior to his mission he redshirted during the 2008-09 season.

Along with Jurca and Blair, the rest of the Cougars are playing solid golf. In total, seven BYU golfers are in the top 20 after two rounds of competition.

“Our guys understood that it would be a tough day in this cold,” Miller said. “We need to get off to a good steady start tomorrow because we know that the teams behind us are capable of playing great golf. We can’t give them any hope of a comeback.”

Also competing in the tournament are Utah State and Southern Utah. For complete results visit www.golfstat.com.

The tournament will conclude on Saturday with a 9:30 a.m. MDT start time.