GOODYEAR, AZ- The Cougars played their first tournament as a team in over a month as they competed in the Hot Dirt Desert Shootout at the Golf Club of Estrella April 5-6. CCU showed absolutely no signs of rust, shooting an excellent two rounds to claim the title by an incredibly impressive four strokes at -10. 

ROUND ONE 
Adam Duncan came out hot on day one, sinking five birdies on his way to a two-under par round of 70. Dylan Arthur was locked in as well, shooting a 71 on three birdies. Peyton Jones was solid with an even par 72 as he fired off four birdies. Xavier Bighaus followed with a 75 while Bradley Mulder posted a 77. 

Cole Grossl and Cameron Sandland led the individuals playing with a pair of 72s, while Ben Fowler tallied a 78 to close the round.  

ROUND TWO
The momentum from day one carried into the second round, as Duncan stayed extremely consistent with a 68 on five birdies and just one bogey to claim a tie for second overall. Arthur was tremendous yet again, firing a 70 to tie for fourth. Jones carded a 71 to tie for ninth while Bighaus had a huge bounceback day with a 69 on five birdies to tie for 11th. Mulder closed with a 75 as he claimed a tie for 61st. 

Sandland had a strong final round, closing with a 75 to tie for 29th. Grossl carded an 80 to tie his teammate for 61st, while Fowler shot a 77 to close in a tie for 82nd. 

As a team, the Cougars closed with a blistering 566 (288, 278) to claim the victory among the 19 teams competing. Making the victory even more sweet for the #8 team in the country was the fact that they defeated #9 DBU as well as #20 UTPB to claim their first win of the spring season. It was an outstanding display of team golf as CCU competed among 108 golfers and had four players finish in the top 11. 

With loads of momentum on their side, the Cougars will remain in Goodyear and head to the Palm Valley Golf Club April 8-9 to take part in the RJGA Palm Valley Classic.