CARMEL, Calif. – Every tournament this season for Grand Canyon men’s golf has seen one player spark a run to the top 10 of the leaderboard, and this time it was sophomore Måns Boje’s time to shine.
Boje carded a first round 66 in Monday’s Preserve Golf Club Collegiate at the Preserve GC in Carmel, totaling eight birdies to just two bogeys for a 6 under round. Boje is on pace for another sub 70 score in round two with one hole to play as second round play was halted due to darkness. He is second overall and looking for his first top 10 placement of the season.
GCU is second overall at 23 under, trailing only BYU at the top with a 26 under score. BYU entered the tournament ranked 25th in the nation, joining Long Beach State (No. 32) and California (No. 48) as three teams in the national rankings.
The Lopes showed out in both rounds Monday, tallying scores of 8 under in round one and are 15 under in round two with a handful of holes to play, which will be resumed tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m.
Boje’s birdie count is 15 for the tournament, tied with two other players for best among the field. The Stetson transfer is averaging a 2.63 score on par 3 holes, tied for the top spot among 68 golfers.
Joining the fold for impressive rounds Monday was sophomore Matthew Diehl and junior Gavin O’Neill, who are tied for 11th at 5 under par. Diehl shot a 2 under 70 in round one and is 3 under with one hole to play in his second round, a round that saw three birdies and an eagle on the par 5, 571 yard 13th hole. Diehl’s consistent play includes 26 pars, most among all golfers.
O’Neill made the biggest jump for the team, going 1 over in round one with four birdies and an eagle to 6 under in round two. He has one hole to play, a par 4, to which a birdie would give him the single round best score for the squad. O’Neill is bogey free with six birdies in the second round.
A total of four Lopes are in the top 20, rounded out by freshman Daniel Nilsson in 19th. Nilsson is 4 under overall and currently has five birdies and a 3 under scorecard with one hole to play in the second round.
Sophomore Erik Rengardt is 56th at 4 over, tallying 14 pars in the second round with two holes remaining. Classmate Campbell Kerr is 42nd as an individualist and is having a career second round, notching six birdies and a 56 with three holes left.
GCU is in the top five in scoring on par three, four, and five holes. The Lopes’ 103 pars are the second most, followed by its fourth most birdies with 43.
The second round will begin tomorrow morning, followed by the third and final round of the fall season.
