C.J. Lee isn't surprised when he looks at the standings.
The Timpview golfer is a little taken aback by his team in fifth place, and at how the top five are so closely packed, only five strokes apart. But the fact that four of those five are Region 8 teams? No way.
"I played three seasons with these guys, and I don't think Region 8 has gotten the attention we deserve," Lee said. "I'm actually really happy to see Orem, Timpanogos and Maple Mountain at the top. I know those guys, and they all work hard."
But Lee also knows his Thunderbirds need to have a better day Thursday at the Class 4A golf tournament in Logan. Lee leads the field with a 68, but Maple Mountain is leading the team competition after a solid 302 on Wednesday.
The only other team in the mix with Utah County's finest is Bonneville, which is tied for second at two strokes back. Timpanogos also has 304, Orem hit 305 and Timpview is sitting with 307.
It's difficult to remember a tighter first day.
"It's kind of exciting to watch," Bonneville coach Michael Edwards said. "All of those teams are really consistent, and they've been that way all year long."
They're also at the top of the individual standings, taking advantage of an unexpected warm first day that got windier as time ticked along. The Golden Eagles' Kolton Remund is tied for second with Timpanogos' Brandon Waldron and Woods Cross' Peyton Hastings at 71 stokes. Three others are tied at 72.
"The greens were pretty hard and fast, so it affected our putting a bit," said Bonneville's Nick Smith, who shot 72. "Some of the nerves showed today, and we know we can do better."
Region 6 winner Woods Cross fell back to seventh with a 319, while Region 7 champ Murray was back at 322.
The best advice for Thursday? Just try to keep pace.
"I told my guys try to hold to the stroke average," Edwards said. "But you really never know what's going to happen. It's golf."
Twitter: @kylegoon
Team scores (Logan)
Maple Mountain: 302
Timpanogos: 304
Bonneville: 304
Orem: 305
Timpview: 307
Highland: 318
Woods Cross: 319
East: 321
Murray: 322
Olympus: 322
Roy: 326
Sky View: 327
Logan: 330
Westlake: 331
Provo: 336
Skyline: 338
Clearfield: 353
Individual top 10
C.J Lee, Timpview: 68
Kolton Remund, Maple Mountain: 71
Brandon Waldron, Timpanogos: 71
Peyton Hastings, Woods Cross: 71
Kai Ruiz, Maple Mountain: 72
Nick Smith, Bonneville: 72
Trey Madsen, Orem: 72
Riley Archibald, Sky View: 72
Justin Kim, Logan: 73
Logan Nelson, Maple Mountain: 74
Matt Loosle, Highland: 74
