Brigham Young University wins college golf tourney on Kauaʻi with record team score

Brigham Young set a new 54-hole team scoring record (810, which is 54 under par) to win the 2023 John A. Burns Intercollegiate golf tournament on Kaua‘i.

The victory was fueled by four players who finished in the top 10 of a 126-player field at the par 72 Ocean Course at Hōkūala in Līhuʻe.

The Cougars dominating performance shattered Auburn’s former scoring record that held for 15 years and was 18 strokes better than second-place Arizona.

“Playing 27 holes on consecutive days meant anything could happen,” said Bruce Brockbank, BYU’s legendary head men’s golf coach who now has 59 tournament wins to his name across 31 seasons in Provo, Utah. “Our driving accuracy and short game precision were off the charts. It was very rewarding to watch these young men put it all together for a victory in Hawaiʻi.” 

BYU built upon their second-round lead of 10 strokes over Arizona to win the program’s fourth Burns team title (1977, 2000, 2007, 2023). Their 54-under total score was anchored by fifth-year senior Carson Lundell (T3), a 2021 All-American Honorable Mention, Hawaiian-born Keanu Akina (5), David Timmons (T10) and Tyson Shelley (T10). 

No. 19 Arizona (-36) now has two runner-up finishes in 2023, including at last month’s Thunderbird Intercollegiate. No. 9 Texas A&M (-32), No. 53 California (-27) and No. 20 San Diego State (-24) rounded out the top five. Host University of Hawaiʻi finished last of the 21 schools.

Sam Bennett, the reigning U.S. Amateur Champion and 2022 SEC Golfer of the Year, shot 61 with 11 birdies and no bogeys to earn a share of the individual title with California junior Sampson Zheng.

Bennett tied the Burns tournament record set yesterday by Long Beach State’s Ian Gilligan. During last year’s final round on Kaua‘i, Bennett set the Ocean Course at Hōkūala course record at 64 en route to a second-place finish.

Zheng posted three birdies and one eagle over his final six holes to claim his first collegiate win.

In a unique situation, tournament officials declared Zheng and Bennett co-winners due to a lack of daylight remaining for a playoff and the high chance of rain on Saturday. They both shot 18-under par for the tournament.

Following Aaron Du’s 2022 Burns individual victory, the Golden Bears have now claimed back-to-back individual medalist honors on the Garden Isle. California has tied New Mexico for most individual medalists in tournament history.

All team and individual scores are listed on Golfstat.

Next on the schedule for host school Hawai‘i, the Rainbow Warriors will travel to Palm Desert, Calif. to compete in the Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate on March 1 – 3.

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