O'Loughlin Opens NCAA Regional With a 74

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — University of Colorado senior Daniel O'Loughlin, competing here as an individual, opened up the NCAA Southwest Regional Monday with a 2-over par 74 effort.
 
O'Loughlin recorded five birdies, six pars and seven bogeys in his first go-round on the University of New Mexico's Championship Golf Course, which plays at 7,555-yard and to par-72.  He was even on the par-3s, which was good for 11th in the 75-man field, 2-under on the par-5s and 4-over on the par-4s. 
 
He opened and closed his day with birdies (Nos. 1 and 18), and had a stretch with five of his bogeys over eight holes.  Sitting at 4-over through 14, he rallied to birdies three of the final four holes to cut his overage in half.   
 
The top five teams and the top individual not from those schools will advance out of six regionals nationwide to the NCAA Finals, slated for May 28-June 2 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
 
 "He didn't get as much out of his round that he wanted," CU head coach Roy Edwards said.  "He had a few short game mistakes, but birdying three off the last four was a nice ending to his day.  He played a lot better than his score indicated, and that bodes well for him for the rest of the tournament.  It was windy for most of his back nine, gusts of 15 to 20 miles per hour, but he endured it and hung in there nicely.
 
 "He had a pretty sweet 'up and down' from under a tree on No. 18 for that last birdie."
 
O'Loughlin is tied for 40th, essentially shooting just a bit over the course average for the first round (73.52).  He has some work to do to be in position for that individual slot, technically eight strokes out as Oklahoma's Jonathan Brightwell shot a 6-under 66 to own the individual lead over Nevada's Sam Meek.  The Sooners, ranked No. 1 in the nation, currently aren't in the top five so things literally will change every few holes if not hole-by-hole.
 
No. 41 Oregon State owns the team lead with a 7-under 281, with No. 22 Texas Tech two back at 283 and No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 29 and host New Mexico tied for third at 284.
 
The second round is set for Tuesday; O'Loughlin will again tee off on No. 1 at 9:31 a.m. MDT.  The third and final round is scheduled for Wednesday.

 
BUFFALO INDIVIDUAL

T40.  Daniel O'Loughlin............................... 37-37—74
 
TOP FIVE INDIVIDUALS