For the first time in eight years, the Utah men’s golf team will be looking to win in back-to-back events.
After hosting and winning the Purple and Red Invitational in Layton a week ago, the Utes hope to keep the momentum rolling as they travel to the second annual Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate.
The Wyoming Desert Intercollegiate is played at the par 72, 7,322-yard Classic Club in Palm Desert, Calif. The University of Wyoming will be hosting the event and is the only other Mountain West Conference team participating. Although Utah will not be joined by many MWC teams in the 17-team field, it will be playing against in-state competition including Utah State, Weber State, Utah Valley University and Southern Utah.
The Utes look to improve on their showing from a year ago, when they finished 16th in the event, shooting a combined score of 931.
Traveling for Utah will be the same lineup that won last week’s Purple and Red: juniors Mike Branca, Derek Adams and Chase Hite as well as sophomore Kaleb Mahanes and freshman Camden Nicholson. Nicholson is coming off the strongest performance of his young career8212;leading the Utes in the Purple and Red and tied for fifth in the tournament.
The Utes will play 36 holes today before wrapping up the event tomorrow with the final 18 holes.