Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Topy Cup
'Dogs Shining In Rainy Japan
9/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Sept. 10, 2010
FRESNO, Calif. -
The Fresno State men's golf team is shining in Tanagura, Japan after a wet start at the 28th annual Topy Cup. The `Dogs are in third place at 11 under par through the first 36 holes of competition.
The first couple of days were completely rained out due to inclement weather from Tropical Storm Malou. The tournament was originally scheduled to begin yesterday, but was postponed until this morning. After growing anticipation, the `Dogs teed off at 6:30a.m. on Friday morning in Japan.
"The guys played pretty solid today," said head coach Mike Watney. "We shot five under par in the morning round and six under par in the afternoon round."
At the end of day one the top 6 standings for the golf tournament were:
1. Arizona State 279
1. Tohoku Fukushi 279
3. Fresno State 283
4. Nihon Univ. 284
5. Arizona 285
6. Texas A&M 287
There were four more Japanese teams with scores between 289-317.
Junior Bhavik Patel shot 67 to tie for first after the first round. He was tied with Masahiro Sakurai from Chuogakuin Univ. In the second round, he got off to a slow start with a 38 on the front. However, he turned it on with a 32 on the back nine to stay up among the leaders.
"Bhavik played very solid golf," said Watney. "It's good to see him back among the leaders. The Japanese media really likes him. He is short in stature, like many of the Japanese, but he is so strong. They are amazed."
The scores for the Bulldogs at the end of day one in Japan were; Bhavik Patel (67-70:137), Brian Sunker (70-69:139), Michael Gideon (74-71:145), Bryan Hogan (72-75:147), and Nate Jessup (82-72:154).
Nate Jessup is the only freshman on the trip and Watney commended his progress at his first event as a Bulldog.
"He had the kind of first round you would expect a new freshman to have," said Watney. "He was nervous and this is one of the tightest courses in the world. His second round was very impressive. He had a 72 with a triple-bogey. That is an amazing comeback. This guy will be good."
The Bulldogs will play their last 18 holes of the Topy Cup on Saturday in Japan.
"We are Your Team!" The Bulldog men's golf team plays in the 2010 Topy Cup in Tanagura, Japan, on September 9-11. Check www.gobulldogs.com for updates from the tournament.
Players Mentioned
