The University of Utah men’s golf team finished the first day of the Desimone Invitational in 13th place on March 9, following two rounds at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, California. Junior Sergio Jimenez and senior Brandon Robison led the Utes with scores of 2-under 142 and 4-under 140, respectively.
The tournament is significant for Utah as it features a strong field and provides an opportunity to compete against top-ranked teams. The event spans two days, with teams playing 36 holes on the first day and concluding with an additional round on March 10.
In the opening round, Utah posted a team score of 2-under-par 286, resulting in a four-way tie for eleventh place. Jimenez recorded a standout performance with a five-under-par 67, tying him for sixth individually after round one. Robison shot a one-under-par 71 to tie for thirtieth. Jack Jerge and Davis Johnson both carded two-over-par rounds of 74 to tie for sixty-seventh, while Gabriel Palacios finished with a four-over-par 76 to tie for seventy-third.
During the second round, Utah improved its standing by shooting another team score of four-under-par (286), bringing their total to six under par heading into the final day. Robison climbed eleven spots on the leaderboard by posting a three-under-par 69 in round two, tying him for nineteenth overall. Palacios also made gains, moving up fourteen places to tie for fifty-ninth after shooting two under par (70). Jerge advanced fifteen spots to tie for fifty-second with his one-under-par effort (71) in round two. Jimenez ended the day tied for thirty-third after shooting three over par (75) in his second round.
At the end of day one, Arizona State led the tournament at twenty-nine under par, followed by Texas Christian University at twenty-two under and Southern Methodist University at twenty under. Utah was six under par overall.
The Utes will return to competition on March 10 for the third and final round before preparing for their next event at the Schenkel Invitational from March 13-15.
