Krando Nishiba Leads the Charge After Day One at Pac-12 Championship

CAREFREE, Ariz — The USC men's golf team competed in the first and second rounds of the Pac-12 Championship on Friday, Apr. 26 at the Desert Forest Golf Club. After a day that saw no team finish under par, the Trojans finished at 59-over par, slotting themselves into 11th, nine shots behind a three-team tie for the 9th spot. The team closed out their first round at 18-over par (71+72+75+79+79=374). 
 
The second round was delayed due to lighting and will resume on Saturday morning (Apr. 27).
 
The tournament is currently being led by Washington who sits at 13-over par, eight shots ahead of second-place Oregon.
 
A steady presence in the last three tournaments, Krando Nishiba continued his string of good play during the first day of the championship despite the tough conditions. After a tough break on hole No. 3, Nishiba bounced back with two birdies to finish his first round at four-over (75). On the second loop, Nishiba found his stroke, keeping a clean scorecard and making a birdie to push his tournament total to six-over par through 17 holes, pushing him into a tie for 17th.
 
Antonio Safa followed behind his senior teammate after starting the day strong with five straight birdies between holes No. 2 and 7 after a bogey on the first. He battled throughout his first round and finished at even par (71). After getting stopped 16 holes into his second round, Safa currently sits at seven-over par for the tournament in a tie for 23rd.
 
Junior Gavin Aurilia followed right behind his two teammates making four birdies in his first loop. Also, through 17 holes, Aurilia currently sits at a total of eight-over and is in a tie for 31st after firing a first-round score of one-over par (72). 
 
Nico Dominguez and Sam Lape, who both finished their rounds prior to the lighting delay, fought hard throughout. In his first postseason round of his collegiate career, the freshman Dominguez fired a score of eight-over (79), making three birdies. He currently sits in a tie for 63rd, after shooting a score of 9-over (80) in round two, pushing his overall total to 17-over par. Lape sits five shots behind his teammate at 22-over, solo in 68th place. His morning finished in a score of eight-over (79) and followed it up with a second-round number of 15-over (85).
 
Shane French currently sits in a tie for 70 after a first-round score of six-over (77). His second loop of Desert Forest concluded in a score of 18-over (89), pushing the San Diego native to a score of 24-over through 36 holes.
 
After a tough day that saw wind gusts get up to 25 mph, the Trojans look to bounce back on the second day of the Pac-12 Championship. Play at Desert Forest Golf Club will resume at 8:30 am PST, and the third round will start shortly after. 
 
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP
DESERT FOREST GOLF CLUB
CAREFREE, ARIZONA
APR 26-128, 2024/PAR 71/7,203 YARDS
TEAMS (12)/FIRST ROUND SCORES:
signals second round has not yet finished
1. Washington - (349+*=*)/+13
2. Oregon - (368+*=*)/+21
3. Arizona State - (368+365=733)/+23
4. Stanford - (359+378=737)/+27
5. California - (368+370=738)/+28
6. UCLA - (370+381=751)/+41
T7. Oregon State - (375+380=755)/+45
T7. Arizona - (378+*=*)/+45
T9. Colorado - (370+390=760)/+50
T9. Utah - (366+*=*)/+50
11. Southern California - (374+*=*)/+59
12. Washington State - (381+*=*)/+60
 
INDIVIDUAL SCORES
T1. Ethan Fang - (71+70=141)/-1
T1. Wenyi Ding - (70+71=141)/-1
T1. Micheal Thorbjornson - (65+76)/-1
T17. Krando Nishiba (75+*=*)/+6
T23. Antonio Safa (71+*=*)/+7
T31. Gavin Aurilia (72+*=*)/+8
T63. Nico Dominguez (79+80=159)/+17
68. Sam Lape - (79+85=164)/+22
T70. Shane Ffrench - (77+89+166)/+24