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Friday, February 17
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University of Utah
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John Burns Intercollegiate
Watts, Barcos Lead the Way on Fantastic Day for Utah Golf
2/17/2023 11:06 PM | Men's Golf
Utah posts its lowest team score of the year, Barcos shoots 64, Watts places 10th
LIHUE, KAUA'I, Hawaii. – Braxton Watts captured a share of 10th, Javier Barcos fell just one stroke short of his lowest round as a Ute and the University of Utah men's golf team posted its lowest team score of the year and moved up six spots on the final day of the John Burns Intercollegiate, which occurred on Friday at the Ocean Course at Hokuala.
"Today was good!" said head coach Garrett Clegg. "We finally played the par 5's well. It was awesome to see Braxton play great again! He was such a huge part of everything we accomplished last spring that his fall was really out of character. For him to go out this week and play the way he did was a lot of fun!"
"Javi had really struggled for most of the tournament and then was able to kick it into gear the final round. It makes such a huge difference when our top players play great. I'm also really proud of Go in his first collegiate golf tournament. To finish under par and play really steady all week is awesome! Martin was solid this week and it was good to see him hitting quality shots and competing at a higher level!"
Watts didn't play a single round over par all tournament and he started Friday, which began with the conclusion of the second round, by reeling off four birdies in quick succession, a stretch that sent him flying up the leaderboard from 39th into a tie for 14th. The sophomore from Farmington, Utah was just as sharp over his final 18 holes, which he kicked-off with four more quick birdies and he was 4-under on the back nine. By the time he entered the clubhouse, Watts had posted back-to-back 67s, his lowest round scores of the year, and they helped him snatch his first top 10 finish of the season and the second of his career.
Barcos ended round two with an even 72 and tied for 63rd, but was locked in during his final trip around the course. After starting with a par on hole No. 9, he posted a birdie, then eagled the par-4 11th to get to 2-under. Barcos capped the back nine with seven straight pars, then racked up five more birdies through his final eight holes to card an 8-under 64, the lowest mark by any Ute since Barcos' 63 at the Visit Stockton Invitational in October of 2021. His efforts allowed him to climb 42 spots and grab a share of 21st.
Much like Watts, Martín León didn't post a score worse than par in any round and his birdie on the par-5 10th allowed him to finish round two with a 70, his second-lowest 18-hole total in 2022-23. León started the final round on the par-4 11th and had to deal with a couple early hiccups, but returned to form on the front nine, where he was 3-under and he would end up with a 72. For the tournament, León was 3-under and tied for 38th.
Go Nakatsukasa played even golf all day and offset each bogey with a birdie to end the final round with a 72 that kept his 54-hole score at 1-under. Playing in his first tournament as Ute and competing as an individual, Nakatsukasa earned a share of 58th. Brandon Robison tied for 93rd, while Hunter Howe was even with two other players in 103rd.
As a team, the Utes started the last round in 13th and shot a 15-under 273, 10 strokes better than their lowest team mark of the fall and that catapulted them into a tie for seventh. That late charge enable Clegg's squad to finish ahead of Pac-12 rivals Washington State and USC and the Utes left Hawaii with the tourney's lowest score on par-3's and the highest total of pars in 179.
UP NEXT
The Utes will try and carry this momentum on to the Desert Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Wyoming on March 1-3 in Palm Desert, Calif.
FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Golf program along with tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtesGolf | Instagram: @UtesGolf).
"Today was good!" said head coach Garrett Clegg. "We finally played the par 5's well. It was awesome to see Braxton play great again! He was such a huge part of everything we accomplished last spring that his fall was really out of character. For him to go out this week and play the way he did was a lot of fun!"
"Javi had really struggled for most of the tournament and then was able to kick it into gear the final round. It makes such a huge difference when our top players play great. I'm also really proud of Go in his first collegiate golf tournament. To finish under par and play really steady all week is awesome! Martin was solid this week and it was good to see him hitting quality shots and competing at a higher level!"
Watts didn't play a single round over par all tournament and he started Friday, which began with the conclusion of the second round, by reeling off four birdies in quick succession, a stretch that sent him flying up the leaderboard from 39th into a tie for 14th. The sophomore from Farmington, Utah was just as sharp over his final 18 holes, which he kicked-off with four more quick birdies and he was 4-under on the back nine. By the time he entered the clubhouse, Watts had posted back-to-back 67s, his lowest round scores of the year, and they helped him snatch his first top 10 finish of the season and the second of his career.
Barcos ended round two with an even 72 and tied for 63rd, but was locked in during his final trip around the course. After starting with a par on hole No. 9, he posted a birdie, then eagled the par-4 11th to get to 2-under. Barcos capped the back nine with seven straight pars, then racked up five more birdies through his final eight holes to card an 8-under 64, the lowest mark by any Ute since Barcos' 63 at the Visit Stockton Invitational in October of 2021. His efforts allowed him to climb 42 spots and grab a share of 21st.
Much like Watts, Martín León didn't post a score worse than par in any round and his birdie on the par-5 10th allowed him to finish round two with a 70, his second-lowest 18-hole total in 2022-23. León started the final round on the par-4 11th and had to deal with a couple early hiccups, but returned to form on the front nine, where he was 3-under and he would end up with a 72. For the tournament, León was 3-under and tied for 38th.
Go Nakatsukasa played even golf all day and offset each bogey with a birdie to end the final round with a 72 that kept his 54-hole score at 1-under. Playing in his first tournament as Ute and competing as an individual, Nakatsukasa earned a share of 58th. Brandon Robison tied for 93rd, while Hunter Howe was even with two other players in 103rd.
As a team, the Utes started the last round in 13th and shot a 15-under 273, 10 strokes better than their lowest team mark of the fall and that catapulted them into a tie for seventh. That late charge enable Clegg's squad to finish ahead of Pac-12 rivals Washington State and USC and the Utes left Hawaii with the tourney's lowest score on par-3's and the highest total of pars in 179.
UP NEXT
The Utes will try and carry this momentum on to the Desert Intercollegiate, hosted by the University of Wyoming on March 1-3 in Palm Desert, Calif.
FOLLOW THE UTES
For an inside look at the Utah Golf program along with tournament, roster and news updates, fans can follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @UtesGolf | Instagram: @UtesGolf).
Players Mentioned
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