Upcoming Event: Men's Golf versus Williams Cup on October 19, 2025
Men's Golf
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Tuesday, September 10
Pullman, Wash.
University of Utah
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Palouse Collegiate
First-Place Jimenez, Utah Golf Break School Records at Palouse Collegiate
9/10/2024 11:15 PM | Men's Golf
The Utes head into the final round of play in first place while Sergio Jimenez ranks atop the individual leaderboard
PULLMAN, Wash. - The University of Utah Men's Golf team dominated at the Palouse Collegiate on Tuesday to open its season, setting new school records led by Sergio Jimenez who sits atop the player leaderboard with two other Utes ranked inside the top seven spots. As a team, the Utes lead the team rankings through the first two rounds of play shooting 35-under.
It was a historic first day of golf at the Palouse Collegiate tournament in Pullman, Wash., as the Utes collected a handful of new school records. The team tied the school record for the lowest team score in a single round, posting an 18-under 266 to match the performance from the Pat Hicks Thunderbird Collegiate in 2021. Keeping the momentum rolling, the team then recorded a 17-under 267 in the second round to rank third in the same category. Overall, the Utes shattered the previous 36-hole team score school record, putting together a score of 533 to outshoot the former record by 11 strokes.
Jimenez was the catalyst for Utah's exceptional play at the Palouse Ridge Golf Course, setting two new school records on his own. In the first round, Jimenez carded a score of 10-under 61 to earn himself the lowest 18-hole individual score in Utah golf history. The sophomore started his season with back-to-back birdies before adding another pair of red marks on the second half of the course and finishing with an eagle on the 18th hole. Across his final seven holes, Jimenez added two more birdies before tallying another eagle on the final hole of the first round to place himself first on the player leaderboard. The efficient work of the Spaniard continued into the next 18 holes, totaling four birdies against just one bogey to conclude the second round 3-under while still holding the best overall score of the field. Jimenez set a new 36-hole school record with his 13-under 129, dethroning Blake Tomlinson's 131 at the Thunderbird Collegiate in 2021.
Gabriel Palacios also shined in his season debut for the Utes, catapulting up 16 spots from round one to round two to finish the day tied for third place. To start the tournament, Palacios recorded two birdies in his first four holes before getting hit with a double bogey at the start of the back half of the course. The sophomore responded with an eagle on the 15th hole and later added a bogey. With a chance to bounce back, Palacios tacked on two red marks in his final two holes to finish 3-under and sitting in 19th. Palacios came into the second round and caught fire on the course, racking up seven consecutive birdies across holes 9-15. This allowed the Ute to shoot up the leaderboard while tying the third-lowest 36-hold in school history at 10-under 132.
"Great performance by the boys," said head coach Garrett Clegg. "It's always great to have the low team rounds in each of the first two rounds! Sergio setting a new team record in round one is awesome! Then for Gabe [Palacios] to make seven birdies in-a-row in round two was fantastic. In the second round, we had three players birdie their final hole which is a big deal in putting us ahead by 9 strokes."
"Overall, it was a really good day! We'll have to come out tomorrow ready to compete. It is supposed to be a bit cold and maybe even some rain in the morning so we will need to bring it!"
Brandon Robison was the third Ute to land inside the top 10 after 36 holes, shooting 4-under in the first round before marking a 3-under score in the second round. Robison was exceptionally efficient in the first round, totaling four birdies with 14 even scores. This came before a hectic second round as the junior tallied back-to-back bogeys on his seventh and eighth holes and followed it up with an eagle while recording birdies in three of his final seven holes to settle into seventh place.
Braxton Watts and Davis Johnson both sit tied for 28th with a score of 3-under, just three strokes behind cracking into the top 10.
Peter Jung is the lone individual competitor for Utah and finished the first two rounds tied for 85th.
UP NEXT
The Utes will take on the final round of golf at the Palouse Ridge Golf Course tomorrow morning with a shotgun start at 8:45 a.m. MT as the team looks to hang on to its first-place advantage.
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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