Former Punahou School athlete and current San Diego golfer Alex Ching shot a 1-under-par 70 today and is one shot off the lead the NCAA golf championships at Toledo, Ohio.

He was just one of eight golfers among 156 players to break par.


Northwestern’s Jonathan Bowers, Illinois’ Scott Langley and North Carolina State’s Matt Hill shot 2-under-par 69s to lead the individual race, while Oklahoma State and Georgia shared the team lead through Tuesday’s opening round at the NCAA Division I men’s golf championship.
“It was very tough out there today,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “With the wind picking up and the severity of the golf course, it’s just survival. Judging by the scores that you see some of these teams shooting — which are very good teams — it just lets you know that at any given time (the course) can up and bite you.”
Bowers battled showers while shooting his 69 in the morning, while Langley and Hill fought through winds and chilly temperatures in the afternoon at the 7,255-yard layout.
“On holes six through nine it was coming down pretty good,” said Bowers, a left-handed junior who had four birdies and two bogeys. “We had our umbrellas and rain gear on. And then it softened. It didn’t rain nearly as hard after that.”
It didn’t rain in the afternoon, although the early precipitation made the high, deep rough even harder to extricate an errant shot. Then the wind picked up and the mercury fell.
“I played great to shoot the score I did,” said Langley, a sophomore who offset a double and two bogeys with six birdies. “It’s a tough course anyway, then with the conditions — it was kind of cold and windy.”
Hill, a contender for national player of the year, was pleased that he persevered even though he three-putted the final hole for a bogey.
“I feel like I put myself in really good position,” he said. “I have a lot of confidence going into tomorrow.”
TCU’s Tom Hoge was 4 under through 17 holes, but was short-sided in a greenside bunker and twice had his ball roll back at him after shots. His triple-bogey left him at 70 along with Ching, UCLA’s Philip Francis, Tennessee’s David Holmes and Washington’s Nick Taylor.