Foushee Paces Ducks on Day One at Amer Ari Invite

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii – Senior Zach Foushee led the way as the Oregon men's golf team wrapped up day one of competition at the 54-hole Amer Ari Invitational in a tie for fourth on Thursday.

How It Happened: The Ducks turned in a first-round 282 to finish the day at 6-under at the par-72, 7,074-yard Waikoloa King's Course. Oregon sits tied with 16th-ranked Oklahoma State in fourth overall. UCLA sits three strokes ahead of the Ducks in third, with top-10 Pac-12 foes Stanford and USC knotted at 10-under atop the leaderboard.

Foushee, sophomore Aaron Wise and freshman Sam Foust find themselves in the top 15 on the player leaderboard after the first 18 holes of play.

Foushee was consistent throughout the day, dropping in five birdies against only one bogey to end the first round with a 4-under 68 and position himself in a tie for third heading into Friday's second round. The West Linn, Ore., native's 68, is a new season low round.

Wise finished strong, wrapping up the day with birdies on two of his final three holes to card a 3-under 69. The sophomore sits in a tie for eighth overall after his first 18. Foust, seeing action in his third collegiate tournament, turned in a solid performance as well, firing a 2-under 70 to tie himself for 15th.

Sulman Raza posted a 3-over 75 to tie for 79th after the first round of play, and Brandon McIver notched a 4-over 76 to end the day in a tie for 94th.

Freshman Edwin Yi and junior Nigel Lett are competing as individuals this week. Yi was impressive in his first round, echoing fellow freshman Sam Foust's 2-under 70 to knot himself in 15th, thanks in part to his eagle on the par-5 18th. Lett carded a 5-over 77 to wind down his first round in 99th.

What It Means: Playing amongst one of the stronger fields they've seen this season, the Ducks find themselves right in the thick of the action after one day of competition at the Amer Ari Invitational. Only four strokes back of the lead with 36 holes left to play, Oregon is certainly well within striking distance heading into Friday's second round. The Ducks will look to build on Thursday's effort and remain consistent over the next two days in hopes of an opportunity to find themselves atop the leaderboard come the end of play Saturday.

Friday's Schedule: Paired with Stanford, Cal State Monterey Bay and San Jose State for Friday's second round, the Ducks will tee off at 9:30 a.m. PT.