In about as resounding a performance a varsity five can put together for its golf team in a two-round, 36-hole day, the Washington State men’s golf team fired on all cylinders yesterday at the first two rounds of the Itani Quality Homes Collegiate.

The tournament was hosted by the Cougars at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club. Maintaining their home course advantage, the Cougars hold a 20-stroke lead (-29, 539) over second place Seattle University (-9, 559).

Coming off 11th and seventh place finishes in the past two weeks at the Saint Mary’s Invitational and Husky Invitational respectively, evident familiarity with the golf course and a softer nine-team field helped WSU separate itself from the competition as it geared up for the final 18 holes today. Tee times start at 8:30 a.m. and will again follow a shotgun start format.

A par 71 course, the rolling hills that border Palouse Ridge’s forest green fairways glistened like fields of goldenrod hay as the sun shone down from a cloudless sky. What could be considered a perfect late-September day for a round of golf, many of the Cougar individuals put together their best performances of the fall season thus far.

Sophomore Derek Bayley played with fire, shooting 5-under (66) in Round 1 and going 6-under (65) in Round 2, good enough for a 5-stroke lead on Oregon State’s Tyler Carlson (playing independent) and a two-round score of 131. The big Idahoan played loose and drove the ball deep down PR’s long and wide fairways, never really putting himself in situations to bogey holes. With three consistent performances in as many tournaments this fall, Bayley is beginning to establish himself as Head Coach Garrett Clegg’s most reliable golfer.

Washington natives junior Nick Mandel and Aaron Whalen carded nice two-round scores of their own, tying for third at 5-under (137). Entering the tournament as the No. 4 seeded player in Clegg’s varsity lineup, Mandel played even-keeled golf, shooting 2-under (69) in the first 18 holes and 3-under (68) for the latter half. Whalen, who was donned the title of top-seed at the start of Round 1, went even-par (71) for the first round but kept the ball in the fairway in his second and showed vast improvement in his ability to read the greens, carding a tally of 5-under (66).

Sophomore Zach Anderson finished the day in a tie for eighth (-4, 138) with some well-rounded chips that set himself up nicely on the putting green. After not playing in Cle Elum, Washington, last week, Anderson looked far more comfortable in Pullman than he did in Pebble Beach, California, two weeks ago.

Freshman AJ Armstrong, a player whose greatest strength is his short game, putting the ball with efficiency in the first round, shot 4-under (67) and found himself in second place, just a stroke behind his teammate Bayley. Armstrong struggled to find his touch in Round 2, finishing 1-over (72), though his 36-hole effort was good enough to place him in a tie for 12th (-3, 139) as the tournament prepares to wrap up with Round 3.

Not available for comment after Round 2 concluded, Clegg and his entire roster had to be satisfied with their collective effort on the day.

Sitting 20 strokes in front of their nearest competition, WSU is in prime position to capture its first team title of the 2015-2016 season. Follow the leaderboard live at birdiefire.com.

Reporting by Braden Johnson