BANDON, Ore. - Gonzaga University men's golf freshman James Fahy shot a first round 2-over par 73 on the first day of the Bandon Dunes Championship to lead the charge for the Bulldogs and to stand tied for 19th overall individually.
"James played a great round and I'm really proud of the way he finished today," explained Zag head coach Robert Gray. "He shot 2-under on his final nine and finished solid on the finishing holes."
Teammate Travis Johnsen closed out the first 18-holes of the 54-hole tournament with a score of 76.
"Travis also played strong on those finishing holes and shot an average score that has him in the middle of the pack," stated Gray.
Johnsen is currently tied for 48th going into Saturday's round.
As a team, the Bulldogs shot a 311 to stand in last place in the 15-team championship hosted by the Bulldogs at the Bandon Trails Course, six strokes behind 14th place Weber State University heading into the second day of the 3-day championship.
The championship's first round was played on the 6,718-yard, par 71 Bandon Trails Course.
"All year we've thrown away shots on our finishing holes and we did the same today playing our last four holes at 14-over par for all five players," said Gray. "We definitely didn't play great up to that point as a team but by finishing that way we just dig ourselves into such a deep hole for the remainder of the event."
Freshman Erik Krzyzanowski finished the day shooting an 80, while senior Oliver Grabb shot an 82 and freshman Brendan Connolly had a score of 83.
The University of Washington sits atop the leader board after the first round. The Huskies shot an even-284 to hold a three stroke lead over the University of Oregon.
Jonathan Woo, of Oregon, leads the medalist chase at 68, for a one shot lead over Husky Charlie Hughes; who won the 2011 Bandon Dunes Championship.
The Bandon Dunes Championship continues Saturday with another 18-holes. The tournament then finishes on Sunday.
