LA QUINTA, Calif. – The Kansas men’s golf team wrapped up day one of The Prestige in second place at 6-under, led by four under-par rounds at PGA West’s Greg Norman Course on Monday.

Kansas was led by sophomore Noah Holtzman, who finished the round at three under par and sits in sixth place for the tournament. Sophomore Max Jelinek, junior Luke Honner and senior Gunnar Broin all fired off rounds of 70 (-1). 

The Jayhawks currently sit at -6 and alone in second place among the loaded 24-team field, 11 of which are ranked inside the top 50 nationally.

“We had a good day today,” said Kansas head coach Jamie Bermel. “Guys just hung in there and they were very patient. We showed a lot of patience, grit, determination, and golf toughness today. Guys have worked really hard since the second semester started and they played with a lot of confidence today. Still two more rounds of golf, but getting off to a good start today was very helpful after having a three-month break from college golf. Total team effort today.” 

Kansas sits just three shots back of sixth-ranked North Carolina, who finished at -9 after the first round of the tournament. San Diego (-3), UNC-Wilmington (-2), Florida Atlantic (-2), and Oregon (-2) round out the rest of the top five after the opening round at PGA West.

Holtzman was the leading Jayhawk Monday afternoon, as he was able to tally three birdies on his front nine, shooting a 35 on the way out. Holtzman rode the momentum to three more birdies on his back nine, finishing the round with a score of 68. Holtzman is in sixth place individually after the opening round.

Broin and Jelinek both played clean golf for Kansas, each totaling three birdies during Monday’s round, as both Jayhawks shot a one-under-par score of 70. Honner’s round was filled with more birdies, as he totaled five in the opening round, including two birdies on his first three holes Monday afternoon. All three Jayhawks are in a tie for 24th place after the first round of play at -1.

In his Jayhawk debut, freshman Ty Lasley played steady golf, carding a 3-over-par 74 with 15 pars, including a stretch of seven in a row. He enters the second round in 78th place.

UP NEXT

Kansas will continue play at The Prestige with the second round on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Fans can follow along with live scoring here, while live updates will also be provided on the Kansas Men’s Golf X account.