WAHIAWA, Hawaii—Early in this season, the Chico State men's golf team's growing edge appears to be Par 5 scoring. Tuesday, the Wildcats were deserving of high fives for their par-5 results, shooting a combined 12-under par to take the lead at the midway point of the Southwest Airlines Hawaii Pacific University Shark Shootout. Chico State is 9-under par heading into Wednesday's final round, five shots clear of second-place Stanislaus State. At 1-under par, Cal State San Marcos is the only other team to finish under par in the 16-team field.
 
Chico State's Tyler Ashman has a one-stroke lead among individuals at 5-under par. Dakota Ochoa is tied for third at 3-under and Mark Noonan is tied for eighth at 2-under. Naoki Easterday closed the team's scoring with a 1-over par 73, and Travis Miller shot 2-over on the par-72, 7,019-yard Leilehua Golf Course.
 
The Wildcats combined for three birdies and two pars on the 545-yard fifth; five pars on the 600-yard sixth; an eagle, three birdies, and a par on the 511-yard 11^th; and two eagles, a birdie, a par, and a bogey on the 531-yard 15^th. Individually on the par-5s, Ashman and Ochoa accounted for an eagle and two birdies apiece, Travis Miller an eagle and a birdie, and Mark Noonan two birdies on the course's four par-5s.
 
That 12-under effort was two shots better than any other team in the field and seven better than Stanislaus State. The Wildcats were even par on the par-4s and +5 on the par 3s. They also led the field with 62 pars and three eagles, ranking fifth with 14 birdies.
 
Ashman leads Matthew Pennington of Cal State San Marcos by one shot and a group of five that includes Ochoa by two, and a group of four that includes Noonan by three.
 
Wednesday's second and final round is scheduled to get under way with a shotgun start at 10:30 a.m., Pacific. Following Wednesday's action, the same 16 teams are set to compete at the Southwest Airlines Dennis Rose Intercollegiate Friday and Saturday at Waikaloa Beach Golf Club in Waikoloa on the Big Island.
 
Ranked No. 40 in the nation by Golfstat, the Wildcats are one of a dozen teams ranked among the nation's top 51 in both fields.
 
Participating Teams (with Golfstat ranking)
    6. Western Washington University
    9. Sonoma State
  13. Cal State Monterey Bay
  23. Cal State East Bay
  26. Cal State San Bernardino
  30. Stanislaus State
  34. University of Hawaii at Hilo
  37. Colorado Christian University
  40. Chico State
  43. Cal State Dominguez Hills
  49. Cal State San Marcos
  51. University of Colorado Colorado Springs
103. Saint Martin's University
131. Northwest Nazarene
135. Hawaii Pacific University
171. Chaminade University