LIVERMORE, Calif. – The Chaminade University men's golf team Monday opened the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks Invitational in 13th place at the par-72, 6,958-yard Poppy Ridge Golf Course.
The Silverswords shot a team score of 328, 12 shots ahead of host Northwest Nazarene and just one behind 12th-place Hawai'i Pacific University. Just 16 shots separate the 'Swords from fifth-place Academy of Art in team scoring.
Desmond Mello (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hawai'i/Moanalua HS) leads the 'Swords contingent with a 7-over-par 79 after the first round and is tied for 26th-place overall.
Colby Gunderson (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Castle) and
Schuyler Peterson (Huntington Beach, Calif./Mater Dei) both carded 81s on the afternoon with the former carding three birdies on the back-nine.
Kalani Frazier (Kapolei, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Kapolei) and
Jackson Tyler (La Plata, Md./Wesley College/Montverde Academy, Fla.) both shot 87 on the day.
The team is the first Chaminade athletics program to play on the mainland since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago.
There is a four-way tie in the team leaderboard with Cal State East Bay, Saint Marin's, Sonoma State and Western Washington all at 307. Western Washington's Adam Thain is the individual leader at even-par 72.
The Nighthawks Invitational (formerly known as the Notre Dame de Namur Invitational) concludes on Tuesday.
