Rivera Tied For 3rd At 8-Under After 36-Hole Opener In Florida

Freshman Jackson Rivera fired his third and fourth rounds of 68 or better in his last five routings to grab a share of third place while leading the USC men's golf team during the 36-hole first day of the Valspar Collegiate Invitational at The Floridian Golf Club on Monday (March 28) in Palm City, Fla.

The Trojans combined for a two-round 8-over 576 (283-293). Pepperdine took the first-round lead at 28-under 540.

Rivera, whose last round saw him post a 63, remained hot in Florida with a two-round 8-under 134 (66-68), tied for third and five shots off the pace.

In a first round that started on 15, he opened with a birdie, finished his first nine at 2-under and was 3-under on his second nine with seven birdies overall. He followed it with a three-birdie second round without a bogey and now has a team-best six rounds in the 60s.

Sophomore Shane Ffrench is tied for 58th at 6-over 148 (70-78). His first round, which featured one stretch of four straight birdies though offset by a triple, was his fifth under par round in his last 10.

Senior Jack Boulger is tied for 65th at 7-over 149 (74-75), sophomore Krando Nishiba is tied for 69TH at 8-over 150 (78-72) and freshman Parker Rostowsky is tied for 73rd at 10-over 152 (73-79).

The event concludes Tuesday.