WAIKOLOA, Hawaii – The Western Washington University men's golf team recorded an 8-under-par team score of 280 to hold a two-stroke lead after the first round of the 2018 Dennis Rose Invitational played Monday at Waikoloa Kings' Course.
 
The Vikings, who are ranked No. 8 in the nation in the Bushnell Golfweek Division II coaches poll and No. 2 in the Golfstat.com team rankings, recorded its 10^th round of par or better this season (out of 12). WWU, already a winner of three tournaments this fall, holds a two-stroke lead over Sonoma State and tournament host Hawai'i Hilo, which are tied for 2^nd place at 6-under-par 282 in the 14-team field.
 
"I am very pleased with the start by the team today, a start we would love to build on over the next two days," said WWU head coach Luke Bennett. "All our counting scores were even par or better, and that is great team golf. However, we can still clean up a couple of things but it was great to see the boys stay positive no matter what happened."
 
Senior Michael Butler (Sammamish, WA/Skyline) leads the Vikings contingent and is tied for 2^nd in the 80-player field after shooting a 4-under-par 68 in the opening round. Butler recorded five birdies and one bogey in his season-low round.
 
"It was really great to see Mike play so well," added Bennett. "He's been so close to putting up a low score this year, and today he took a big step forward and is something he can build some momentum off of."
 
Senior Nick Sparling (Dublin, OH/Dublin Coffman/Ohio State) is tied for 4^th shooting a 2-under-par 70, closing out his round with three birdies over his final six holes to record his third consecutive round under par.
 
Freshman Jordan Lee (Tacoma, WA/Bellarmine Prep) is also tied for 4^th with a 2-under-par 70, recording three birdies and a par in his round on Monday.
Senior Cody Roth (Bellingham, WA) closed out WWU's four counting scores with an even-par 72.
 
Hawai'i Hilo senior Jared Kinoshita holds the individual lead after blistering the par 72, 7,074-yard layout with a 7-under-par 65 with six birdies and an eagle. He holds a three-shot lead over Butler and Sonoma State's Isaiah Aguirre, with WWU's Lee (T4th) and Sparling (T4th) within striking distance for the individual title heading into the final 36 holes.
 
The second round of the three-round, 54-hole tournament on Hawai'i's Big Island is scheduled to start with a 7:30 am (Hawai'i Time) shotgun start. WWU will start teeing off holes 1-4 and will be paired with Hawai'i Hilo, Sonoma State and Academy of Art.
 
WWU's individual scores and the complete team leaderboard from Monday's first round of the Dennis Rose Invitational are as follows:

 

2018 Dennis Rose Intercollegiate Invitational Waikoloa Kings' Course   8 Waikoloa, HI  8  Par 72  8  7,074 Yards
Pos.	Team/Player	To Par	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Total
1st	Western Washington	-8	280	--	--	280
T2	Michael Butler	-4	68	--	--	68
T4	Jordan Lee	-2	70	--	--	70
T4	Nick Sparling	-2	70	--	--	70
T16	Cody Roth	E	72	--	--	72
T21	Brody Bonfilio (ind)	+1	73	--	--	73
T65	Ethan Casto	+9	81	--	--	81
Pos.	Team	To Par	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Total
1.	Western Washington	-8	280	--	--	280
2.	Sonoma State	-6	282	--	--	282
	Hawai'i Hilo	-6	282	--	--	282
4.	Academy of Art	E	288	--	--	288
5.	Stanislaus State	+4	292	--	--	292
6.	Colorado Christian	+5	293	--	--	293
7.	Dixie State	+10	298	--	--	298
8.	Cal State Monterey Bay	+11	299	--	--	299
9.	Biola	+16	304	--	--	304
10.	Saint Martin's	+17	305	--	--	305
	Cal State Dominguez Hills	+17	305	--	--	305
12.	Notre Dame De Namur	+22	310	--	--	310
13.	Chaminade	+23	311	--	--	311
14.	Hawaii Pacific	+25	313	--	--	313
15.	Hawai'i Hilo (B)	+26	314	--	--	314

 
Results from the fall season and the upcoming spring schedule, as well as historical information on the program, can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/MGolf.
  The WWU men's golf team has an incredible streak of advancing to the NCAA Championships in each of the 20 seasons the program has competed at the NCAA Division II level dating back to the 1998-99 season, including a 3^rd-place finish at the 2013 national championship. The program has produced 17 All-Americans and has won 8 of 10 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships since the tournament debuted in 2008. The Vikings have also featured the GNAC Championships individual medalist in 7 of 11 tournaments, including 2018 champion Ethan Casto.