LACEY, Wash. - Puget Sound took a two-stroke lead Saturday aftrer the opening round of action at the Northwest Conference Spring Classic being staged at The Links at Hawks Prairie.

The Loggers, winners of the NWC Fall Classic, shot 320 to wrestle the first-round lead from the pursuing Linfield Wildcats (322). Also chasing are perennial contenders Pacific (328) and Whitworth (329). Other placers included Whitman (344), Pacific Lutheran (349), George Fox (357), and Willamette (386).

Pacific’s Max Bonk enjoyed the best individual score of the day, shooting a first-round best of 72. Puget Sound’s Matt Kitto (76), and Riley Conlin (78) trail Bonk by a few strokes heading into Sunday’s second round.

Linfield’s Yutaro Sakamoto (78) finished in fourth place. Fellow Wildcats Josh Kay and A.J. Taylor (Jr., Kirkland, Wash.) finished tied for fifth with Whitworth’s Cameron Whittle and Ryan Young, all at 81.

Alex Fitch rounded out the top-four scorers for Linfield with a final score of 82, good for a share of ninth place.

The NWC Spring Classic, which counts one fourth toward determining the conference’s team champion, wraps up Sunday on the same course.