By BILL O’REAR
By BILL O’REAR
Tribune-Herald sports editor
The University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s golf team is tied for fifth place heading into today’s final round of Western Washington University’s 42nd Viking Invitational in Bellingham, Wash.
The Vulcans carded a team total 300 in the first round and 291 in the second round on Monday at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club. They were tied with St. Martin’s University for fifth.
Sonoma State (293-294) and Simon Fraser (299-288) had two-round totals of 587 to share the first-day lead.
British Columbia (298-290) was third at 588, followed by Montana State Billings (303-286) in fourth at 589.
Rounding out the team scoring were UH-Hilo and St. Martins, 591; Dixie State (300-292), 292; Western Washington (299-296), 595; Northwest Nazarene (295-303), 598; Notre Dame de Namur (315-308), 623; and Academy of Art (320-308), 628.
Dixie State’s Kenny You (72-65) leads individually with a 137 total going into today’s final 18 holes. Montana State Billings’ Brad Harrelson (72-66) and Sonoma State’s Alex Marry (71-67) are tied for second at 138. They are followed in the top five by San Francisco State’s Michael Belle (72-71) at 143 and UH-Hilo’s Dalen Yamauchi (74-70) and St. Martin’s Austin Spicer (75-69) at even-par 144.
Also competing for the Vulcans are Corey Kozuma (tie for 10th, 74-72—146), Christian Agosto (T-19th, 75-74—149), Chris Shimomura (T-32nd, 77-75—152) and Kyeton Littel (T-49th, 82-75—157).
“We had a bad putting day,” UHH coach Earl Tamiya said. “In the first round, it was cold, rainy and windy, but we survived. We shot better in the second round.
“Now, we hope to play better tomorrow and make some of those putts that we missed. We’re only four shots behind the leaders. If we play well, we’ve got a chance to move up and challenge (for the title).”
Yamauchi, a junior, shot even par despite the at times difficult conditions.
“Dalen was real steady for us,” Tamiya said. “Tomorrow, we’ll need everyone to play well and make some putts. That will be a key for us.”