TUCSON, Ariz.- The Arizona Men's Golf program had a strong first day at the Arizona Intercollegiate, finishing the first two rounds tied in second and posting a 16-under total of 552 at Sewailo Golf Club. The Cats are only five back of the 21-under lead held by in-state rivals, Arizona State.
 

Rise and shine Tucson, we're ready to play some golf ??. pic.twitter.com/gb74vOr4Gd

— Arizona Men's Golf (@ArizonaMGolf) January 28, 2019

"Overall, we did a great job today," commented head coach Jim Anderson. "We had different guys post low scores and no one was ever out of helping our team's score. The guys are very comfortable at home and it showed today with their patience. We will come out tomorrow ready to compete and if we stay patient, but still aggressive, we can be in position to win."
 
The first round brought the Cats a score of 280, their lowest team single round score of the season. The second round was a fight, where our golfers succeeded, as four of the five individuals finished at par or better. Arizona had 40 birdies across both rounds, the most of any of the 16 teams in the field.
 
Three Wildcats finished the 36-hole day in the top 15. Junior David Laskin played two impressive rounds of golf, heading into the final day of the Intercollegiate in a tie for 7^th.  Eight birdies and one eagle, the only one of the day for the Cats, gave him the six-under par edge. His second round score of 66 is his lowest single-round score of the season.
 

Eagle alert ??
Laskin buries his long-range putt for the first eagle of the competition for the Cats!#BearDown pic.twitter.com/sCa1IuiXxD

— Arizona Men's Golf (@ArizonaMGolf) January 28, 2019

"It was a fun day today to be able to play at home," said Laskin. "I felt like the team performed very well, and we had some good scores, but I also feel as if our best scores are yet to come. I had a great time playing with my boy Brad Reeves, and we were able to feed off each other's energy at times! I know that if we stay committed with every swing and just play until the finish, it can be a special round for all of us. Overall, if I continue to strike the ball well and give myself plenty of birdie opportunities, I will be very satisfied with my round!"
 
Sophomore Trevor Werbylo is tied for 9^th, getting to five-under after rounds one and two. The Tucson local conquered the par-5s, averaging a 4.17. Senior Ethan Marcus, making his first appearance of the 2018-19 season, posted a 71 in the first round and a 67 in the second to go four-under. His second round score of 67 was his lowest career single round score since transferring to Arizona.
 

These three guys are all in the top 15?? David Laskin is tied in 7th, Trevor Werbylo is tied in 9th, and Ethan Marcus is tied in 13th.#BearDown pic.twitter.com/XL3BKS32JU

— Arizona Men's Golf (@ArizonaMGolf) January 29, 2019

Junior Brad Reeves is tied in 25^th (-1) and junior Briggs Duce is tied in 45^th (+2).
 
The final round of the Arizona Intercollegiate will begin tomorrow at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start. The Cats will be looking to win back-to-back home tournament titles, after a stellar final round during the 2018 Intercollegiate. Live scoring is available on Golfstat through this link: http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=15815.