Fine on the Back Nine

EUGENE, Ore. – A barrage on the back nine of Eugene Country Club put the Stanford men’s golf team in the driver’s seat of the NCAA Eugene Regional Championships Thursday.

Stanford’s four scoring players combined to go 5-under after making the turn to give the Cardinal a 4-under 276 and four-stroke lead over second-place Oklahoma.

“We started a bit slow, but played the middle holes really well,” said Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men’s Golf. ““The course was perfect and the greens were fast. Our guys need to understand that we need to stick to our game plan, and there is still a lot of golf left.”

The 13-team field continues the three-day event Friday with live results available at GoStanford.com. The low five teams will advance to the NCAA Championships.

Clubhouse leader Patrick Rodgers was 4-under with six birdies, four coming on the back nine. Rodgers was 1-under heading into the back and added birdies on 10, 12, 13 and 14. He bogeyed the par-4 17th and punched in a par on 18 for his 66.

David Boote is tied for sixth after a 69 on the par-70 course. Boote was 2-over through eight but stormed back with four back-nine birdies.

“Patrick did a nice job leading us today, and it was nice to see Boote turn in a red number,” Ray said.

Viraat Badhwar birdied three of the first five holes on the back nine to move to 2-under. A double bogey on 18 put him at even-par for a share of 11th. Cameron Wilson tied for 14th at 71.

Maverick McNealy was even on the back nine and signed a 73.