Playa del Carmen, Mexico – Western Carolina men’s golf freshman Chase Cline paced the Catamount scoring quintet in Sunday’s opening round of the spring-opening Los Vaqueros Intercollegiate, carding an even-par round of 72 to hit the clubhouse in a three-way tie for eighth place, just four strokes off the pace at the par-72, 6,701-yard Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club.
 
As a team, the Catamounts carded an opening round 315 to sit in a tie for 14th place.
 
Action continues Monday morning with a shotgun start beginning at 8:30 a.m. Paired in foursomes with golfers from Lamar, Northern Colorado, and UTEP, the Catamount scoring five begin the second round on the back nine between holes No. 10 and 12.
 
Opening on the back nine, Cline countered a double-bogey on his first hole with an eagle on the par-5, 485-yard 14th to return to even five holes into the season. He made the turn to the front at even par, countering a bogey on No. 16 with a birdie on the par-3 17th. Two-over par with five holes remaining after a pair of bogeys, the Chapin, S.C., product charted back-to-back birdies on holes No. 5 and 6 to close the round even.
 
Sophomore Jace Butcher shot 5-over par 76, charting three birdies on Sunday and played the front nine even-par after beginning on hole No. 10. Classmate Michael Bevins matched with a trio of birdies, shooting 80 to rest in a tie for 59th with 36 holes to play. Rounding out WCU’s lineup are junior Ivan Ninkovic in 86th (86) and junior Andrew Korytoski in a two-way tie for 89th (89).
 
Playing unattached, senior Kiefer Bulau shot 82 on Sunday’s opening 18 holes, tied with four others for 72nd in the field. The Canadian-born striker posted three birdies including his opening hole, the par-5, 485-yard 14th.
 
SMU leads the 15-team field after 18 holes after shooting 293 on Sunday, three strokes ahead of runner up UT San Antonio (296). Abilene Christian and North Texas are tied for third, four strokes off the pace, with UTEP (298) rounding out the top five.
 
Louis Anceaux of ULM shot a 4-under par 68 to lead the 90-team field, a stroke ahead of a two-way tie between Jose Ramirez of Wichita State and SMU’s Aaron Jarvis with matching rounds of 69.
 
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14 – Western Carolina – 315 (+27)
T8 – Chase Cline – 72 (E)
T40 – Jace Butcher – 77 (+5)
T59 – Michael Bevins – 80 (+8)
86 – Ivan Ninkovic – 86 (+14)
T89 – Andrew Korytoski – 89 (+17)
T72 – Kiefer Bulau (ind.) – 82 (+10)