Sienkiewicz Paces Wildcats to Open Western Intercollegiate

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – A challenging day for the entire field in the first round of the 75th annual Western Intercollegiate saw Arizona Men's Golf finish the day in a tie for eighth at 31-over par. The opening round, which ended due to darkness with two teams left to play the 18th hole, saw windy conditions add to the difficult course as no single player in the field broke par.

"Today was one of our most difficult days on a course this year, but our guys hung tough and managed the extremes of the round," said head coach Jim Anderson. "I really thought Chase epitomized our determination to card a top-10 score at 2-over, which really set a tone for our team for tomorrow's second round. If we make a couple of adjustments and sustain our composure, I believe we will make some moves up the leaderboard."

Sienkiewicz's 2-over round of 72 put him in a five-way tie for seventh by shooting even par after the turn. His par on the menacing 18th hole would tie a pack of other golfers for the best score on the final hole for the entire day. Arizona also got top-30 scores on Monday from Johnny Walker at 5-over and Griffin Rhoads at 6-over.

Pepperdine, who was one of two teams unable to finish their opening round, left Pasatiempo Golf Course on Monday with the overall team lead at 18-over par. Only three counting players out of the field of 92 golfers finished even par.

The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday morning within 10 strokes of the seven teams ahead of them on the leaderboards. The Golf Channel's coverage of the second round will begin at 4 p.m. (MST) on Tuesday.