UNLV holds 36-hole William H. Tucker Intercollegiate Lead

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (September 22, 2017) - After the 36-hole first day of the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate hosted by the UNM Championship Course first-place UNLV, coming off a run to the Elite Eight last year, is the only team under-par. The Rebels, ranked 12th in the country, will begin Saturday's final round 1-under and six-strokes clear of second place Washington (+5). BYU (+10) is in third while Arizona (+13) and Colorado State (+13) are sharing fourth. Leading the UNLV charge is senior Shintaro Ban. Coming off a third-place finish in the event last year, Ban combined rounds of 68-72 on Friday and at 4-under he is one shot off the pace being set by George Cunningham of Arizona. During the first round, Ban played a spectacular second nine to surge into a share of the lead. Following bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4 Ban rebounded with a birdie on the 8th before really finding his stride down the stretch with birdies on Nos. 13-15 and then a closing eagle on the par-5 last. In the second round Ban, an All-American honorable mention last year, birdied four-times and bogeyed four-times. UNLV was helped into the lead by the play of Harry Hall (3rd; -2) and Yash Majmudar (T14 +2). Individual leader George Cunningham tallied scores of 70-69 to post 5-under. A highly touted recruit out of high school, Cunningham was named to the All Pac-12 Second Team as a freshman but the now senior is still in search of his first collegiate title. During round one on Friday Cunningham birdied three-times and bogeyed once while in round two he eagled once, birdied twice and bogeyed twice. Cunningham started his second round with a bang as he eagled the opening hole and then birdied the next two for a 4-under in three-hole start. Trailing Cunningham, Ban and Hall in the individual race are Henry Lee (Washington) and Derek Castillo (Cal State Fullerton) both of whom are 1-under in a tie for fourth.