Lai Poised for Top-20 Finish After Round Two at Southern Highlands

LAS VEGAS – Graduate Eddy Lai led the UCLA men's golf team on day two at the Southern Highlands Collegiate with a 1-under, 71 for his second under-par score of the tournament. Lai is now tied for 17th at 4-under, 140, poised to clinch his second top-20 finish of the season.
 
As a team, the Bruins shot an 8-over, 296 in round two, dropping four spots on the leader board to 13th in the 15 team field at 2-over, 578.
 
No. 1 Oklahoma paces the field by seven strokes at 26-under, 550. No. 15 Texas shot up six spots to second place following a 12-under, 276 today.
 
Lai birdied five times in his round – three times on the front nine and twice on the back nine.
 
Freshman Alvaro Mueller Baumgart Lucena matched Lai with five birdies of his own, but negated the stars with a bogey and triple bogey on the front nine and a double bogey on the par-4 15th.
 
Senior Bryan Teoh shot a 2-over, 74 to get to 5-over, 149 and tied for 69th on the tournament. Teoh also holed five birdies in his round, but was plagued by two double bogeys.
 
Freshman Evan Chien was UCLA's final counting score of the day with a 6-over, 78. Chien birdied twice in his round on the par-4 7th and par-5 13th. He quadruple bogeyed the par-5 3rd.
 
Freshman Pablo Ereño Perez – the Bruins' leader on day one – dropped 55 spots to tied for 66th following an 8-over 80 in his 18 holes today.
 
UCLA will tee off for the final round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate from 9:30 a.m. PT through 10:10 a.m. on hole 10.