LITCHFIELD PARK, Ariz. — Joshua Hong is tied for eighth place and UTSA has a share of ninth after the first day of the Bell Bank “Pay It Forward” Collegiate on Monday at Wigwam Resort (par 72/7,322 yards) in Litchfield Park.
Hong is part of a nine-way tie for eighth at 3-under-par 141 through 36 holes of the 54-hole tournament. After opening the week with a 1-over 73 in the morning, the freshman from Mexico fired a 4-under 68 to leap 34 places up the individual leaderboard and into the top 10.
Hong’s round-one scorecard was headlined by birdies on three of the four par fives, the 548-yard first, the 654-yard fourth and the 660-yard 10th. In the afternoon, he added five more birdies against just one bogey to put himself in contention for fifth top 10 of the season. He circled his number on the first and fourth holes again, as well as on the 391-yard, par-4 second, the 430-yard, par-4 13th and the 535-yard, par-5 14th.
Hong has helped the Roadrunners into a three-way tie for ninth at 3-over 579, two shots ahead of Minnesota and only one behind Wisconsin. The team standings are tight, as UTSA sits only six strokes out of the top five and eight back of fourth-place and 42nd-ranked Arkansas State (571).
Francisco Solorza is the second-highest Roadrunner, as the redshirt freshman has a share of 27th at even-par 144. The Mexico native opened the event with a 3-under 69 that featured six birdies, including four on the front side of the course where he totaled a 4-under 32. He posted a 75 in the afternoon behind one more birdie, giving him seven for the week.
Brayden Bare is tied for 41st with a 3-over 147. The redshirt junior fired a 4-under 68 in the first round on the strength of a half-dozen birdies. Starting on No. 11, the Waco native circled his number on the 190-yard, par-3 11th and the 366-yard, par-4 15th before moving to the front side of the course where he tacked on birdies on the first, fourth, fifth and eighth holes.
Sam Acharya (78-74—152) and Logan Vargas (74-78—152) round out the UTSA lineup in a tie for 73rd.
Nebraska leads the 17-team field with a 563, followed by Marquette (564) and Iowa State (566) in the top three.
Maryland’s Emil Riegger has the individual lead at 9-under 135 (66-69).
The final round is scheduled for Tuesday.
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