STILLWATER, Okla. - Junior Brandon Wu shared the clubhouse lead for portions of the NCAA Championships' opening round Friday at Karsten Creek Golf Club, ultimately placing ninth at the completion of play.
The first round was set back by a rain delay lasting nearly two and a half hours. Then Wu turned on the heaters with a 3-under-par 69 that featured five birdies. His two bogeys came on the par-5 ninth and 14th.
"I'm happy with how the guys hung in there after a tough first few holes," said Conrad Ray, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "The storm was clearing out after the delay and the 10th hole was playing very difficult. The course was very challenging, and I feel like we can save some more shots in round two."
Stanford posted a 4-over 292 for 14th among the 30-team field.
Isaiah Salinda was even-par through his first nine, knocking down an eagle on the par-5 first hole to start the back. He went 1-under on the front for a 71 to share 24th place.
Franklin Huang and David Snyder posted matching scores of 4-over 76, and Jeffrey Swegle was 5-over.
After overnight and morning rainfall, Karsten Creek was left susceptible to college golf's best competitors, and several individuals took advantage of the course's soft conditions. Northwestern's Ryan Lumsden was one of those, as he is tied for the lead in the clubhouse after posting a 5-under 67.
Northwestern shot an 8-under 280 on the first 18 holes, surpassing the course's single-round record. The previous low 18-hole score in a team event was a 6-under 282 put together by Florida at the 1996 Karsten Creek Collegiate.
Northwestern's record-setting performance gave the Wildcats a three-shot lead, with first-round play called to a halt with several schools still on the course due darkness. Two rain delays totaling 3:28 made for a long day for the 30 teams and six individuals competing.
The NCAA Championships features three days of stroke play, with the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team moving on to the final day of stroke play. The top eight teams advance to match play to determine an overall champion.
The tournament continues Saturday with live results available at GoStanford.com.
