The Razorbacks are running away with it early.
Arkansas’s men’s golf team put together two sharp rounds Monday and now sits on top at the Vuori Invitational, a brand-new event hosted by the University of San Diego at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club in California.
The eighth-ranked Hogs shot 284 in the morning and followed it with a 283 in the afternoon.
That gives Arkansas a 36-hole score of 567, which sits at 1-under par. The Razorbacks lead the field by five full strokes.
It’s a strong start to the fall season for a program that’s used to playing near the top of the leaderboard.
Gomez and Curry lead the charge
Gerardo Gomez set the tone early. He was the co-leader after round one thanks to a 4-under 67, and he’s currently tied for fourth place after two rounds.
Gomez opened his tournament with back-to-back birdies on the first two holes. He hit a bump with a bogey on six but answered right back with birdies on eight and nine to turn at 3-under.
From there he settled in, carding seven straight pars to open the back nine before adding one more birdie on the par-3 17th hole to close out his 67.
Thomas Curry had the bigger jump. He struggled a bit in the morning, going 2-over and sitting in 31st place after round one. But he flipped the script in the afternoon.
Curry shot a bogey-free back nine that included birdies on 10, 12, 17 and 18, matching Gomez’s 67 for the day.
That surge moved him up 28 spots on the leaderboard, and he now sits in third place overall.
Arkansas coach Brad McMakin liked what he saw from his team in the opening event of the year.
“Proud of these guys,” McMakin said. “We made some mistakes, which is understandable for the first tournament of the year, but we also hit a lot of quality shots. This is a tough course and the wind was blowing pretty good, which led to very firm and fast greens. Gerry had a solid opening 18 and Thomas’ second round was incredible.”
Rest of the lineup rounds it out
Freshman Lev Grinberg, a preseason All-American, has been steady through two rounds. He carded matching 71s and is tied for 12th place overall.
Niilo Maki-Petaja also made a move in the afternoon. He opened at 4-over through his first 18 holes but climbed 33 spots on the board after posting a 1-under 70 in round two. He now sits tied for 16th.
Willie Gordon had a bumpier day. He was 1-over after his opening round and is currently tied for 33rd.
His second round was a mixed bag with five birdies and three bogeys on the front nine before a rough stretch of 6-over golf on his closing nine holes.
Freshman Guus Lafeber is competing as an individual golfer this week rather than as part of the team score. He posted rounds of 75 and 74 on Monday.
What’s next for the Hogs
Behind Arkansas on the leaderboard sits Colorado in second place after a 287-285 for a 572 total.
Oregon sits in third at 575, with BYU fourth and Pacific fifth. San Diego, the tournament host, sits further down the standings.
The third and final round of the Vuori Invitational tees off Tuesday.
Arkansas will try to hold off the rest of the field and close out a win in the tournament’s first-ever playing.
