With one day of play completed in the John A. Burns Intercollegiate, the Arizona men’s golf team is in eighth place, nine strokes behind co-leaders California and Southern Methodist University, both at 10-under-par. 

Just two strokes separate Arizona (-1) and fifth place team Texas A&M (-3). There are 15 total teams in the field.

The Wildcats had to get help from unexpected places, as Arizona’s usual top scorers Rich Saferian, Tarquin MacManus and Jonathan Khan all failed to finish the day above par.

Saferian recorded a score of 79 (+7), MacManus scored a 73 (+1) and Khan finished with a 74 (+2).

Philip Bagdade and Bradley Nicholson salvaged the first day for the Wildcats, both turning in scores of 2 strokes below par.

Competing as an individual for UA is junior Tom Conran, who shot a 4-over-par round of 76.

California — playing without Michael Weaver, their scoring leader in the Arizona Intercollegiate where Cal and Arizona last met,­ had three of their five golfers score below par while co-leader SMU had four of five players below par. UA had only two players break par.

Round two begins today with a shotgun start at 11 a.m.

— Alex Williams