ST. GEORGE, Utah-- Senior Ryan Riihinen's opening-round two-under 70 paced the North Dakota men's golf team at the Pizza Hut Pat Hicks Invite at Sunbrook Golf Course Monday and Tuesday. It marked the first tournament of the spring for UND as the team finished in ninth place of the 12 teams. 

Riihinen was solid on day one, carding 13 pars while adding four birdies in his tying his career-low round. It was the third below-par round of his season as he lowered his team-leading season average to 75.13 strokes.

Senior Patrick Traynor shot back-to-back 76s to finish tied for second on the team while sophomore Jackson Ward went 77-75 to tie him at eight-over. Junior Cole Johnson rebounded from an opening-round 80 to shoot 77 on Tuesday. Bryce Bye got his second collegiate tournament experience, shooting 91-89. 

North Dakota gets back to action next month with consecutive trips to the South. The Fighting Hawks will play in the Gulf Coast Invitational in New Orleans, La., Mar. 2-3 before returning south to Houston Baptist for the Colin Montgomerie Invitational a week later. 

2/10-11/2020 -- Pizza Hut Pat Hicks Invite
Sunbrook Golf Course -- St. George, Utah
Par 72, 6900 yards 

North Dakota	303	304	607	+31	9th
Riihinen, Ryan	70	76	146	+2	t-17th
Traynor, Patrick	76	76	152	+8	t-46th
Ward, Jackson	77	75	152	+8	t-46th
Johnson, Cole	80	77	157	+13	68th
Bye, Bryce	91	89	180	+36	86th