The Arizona men’s golf team left for Hawaii on Monday with a goal much different than most others traveling to the paradise island. The Wildcats competed in the John Burns Intercollegiate on the island of Oahu and finished round one tied for first at Leilehua Golf Course in Wahiawa, Hawaii, yesterday.

The first round – consisting of 18 holes on the par-72, 6,916-yard course – concluded with three teams in a tie for first place, including the Wildcats, who were accompanied by Auburn and San Diego State. All three teams finished at 10-under-par, shooting a combined 278 as a team. For a tournament with 20 teams, the Wildcats are in a great position heading into round two, which will take place later this afternoon.

“”We are right where we want to be,”” said assistant coach John Knauer. “”We just have to take care of business.””

As a team, Arizona’s five-man roster shot extremely well, led by freshman Tarquin MacMannus, who shot a 66 to lead the individual scoreboard for the tournament. Senior Creighton Honeck finished right behind MacMannus with a 70. Freshman Roberto Galleti and junior Tyler Neal both shot a 72 while junior Nick Park shot a 77.

The Wildcats need to focus on perfecting their shots if they are going to win the tournament, Knauer said.

“”We made some easy mistakes on easy holes, but played good on hard holes,”” Knauer said. “”We really need to concentrate on the easy things.

“”If we’re going to play with the big boys, we better do the easy stuff.””