Robison, Barcos in Top Five, Utah Golf Tied for Second at Gaucho Invite

Monday, April 8

Goleta, Calif.

University of Utah

Gaucho Invitational

Robison, Barcos in Top Five, Utah Golf Tied for Second at Gaucho Invite

4/8/2024 10:00 PM | Men's Golf

First place within reach for Utah with 18 holes to go

GOLETA, Calif. – Both Brandon Robison and Javier Barcos are inside the top five and the University of Utah men's golf team is tied for second at 12-under with 36 holes complete at the Gaucho Invitational, which started on Monday at the Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta, Calif.

"Brandon was outstanding all day," said coach Garrett Clegg. "It's fun to have different players lead the team each week and watching Brandon play as well as he did was awesome! Javi was really solid today as well. He played great golf, just didn't make as many putts. We are in the mix and a good round tomorrow can give us a chance. I'm excited to see how we compete."

Robison was on his game from the start on Monday, putting up a scorecard full of red marks in the first round. He recorded six birdies, three on the front nine and three on the back nine, including back-to-back birds on the eighth and ninth holes. He would repeat that feat on holes No. 14 and 15 before concluding the morning with a 4-under 68.

The sophomore from Centerville, Utah carried that momentum into the second round, racking up five birdies spanning from holes No. 5 to No. 12. Robison later added up another red number on the 18th and closed out the second round with a 5-under 67, matching the best mark of his career. Overall, Robison capped the first two rounds at 9-under and in sole possession of second place, just one stroke behind the tournament leader.

Barcos was similarly outstanding, starting his day with a 2-under 70 that included four front-nine birdies. He was also steady on the back nine, posting nothing but pars. The senior started the second round with back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth holes and, following another extended string of 10 consecutive pars, Barcos posted an eagle on the par-5 first and entered the clubhouse at 4-under. That mark put him 6-under for the day and in a deadlock with one other golfer in fourth.

Braxton Watts began the tournament with a 1-under 71 that included three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 13th. He offset a few struggles during round two by posting a score of 3-under on the front nine, allowing him to finish with a 73 that has him even through 36 holes and tied for 19th.

Sergio Jimenez encountered a few challenges on the last few holes of the back nine in both rounds one and two, but also racked up six red scores. His best mark on Monday was a 73 to conclude the day, leaving him 3-over and sharing 32nd. Just one stroke behind Jimenez in a tie for 38th is Gabriel Palacios, who also was 1-over during his second trip around the course.

Utah's round one 283 and round two 281 both rank in the top 10 in terms of lowest rounds by the squad in 2023-24. At 12-under, the Utes are tied with LMU and eight shots back of first-place Nevada with 18 more holes to play in Goleta.

Up Next
One more round of golf remains and the Utes will be aiming for the top of the leaderboard when they return to the course on Tuesday.

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).