SPOKANE, Wash.  Whitman on Saturday completed its opening round of the two-day Northwest Conference Spring Classic, finishing ahead of lightning in the area -- that halted action in the women's Spring Classic -- with an eighth-place team total of 330, just six strokes back of seventh place and only eight behind fifth.

The Spring Classic is one of the conference's three 'majors' that factor into the league championship. The Fall Classic (Oct. 2017) and NWC Championship (April 21-22) are the other two.

Hangman Valley Golf Course is hosting the two Spring Classics, with the men playing a 6,865-yard, par-72 layout.

Mario Santos-Davidson led the Blues in their opening round, carding an 8-over par 80 (39-41) to finish Saturday in a tie for 23rd place. Santos-Davidson played his opening seven holes in even par before adding three strokes with a bogey on No. 8 and a double-bogey on the ninth.

His back nine wasn't as clean as his opening half, but he finished the day with a birdie on the par-4 18th to swing momentum his way heading into Day 2.

In 26th place is Jimmy Jacobson (39-42—81), who also preferred the front half of his round. Jacobson evened out two bogeys on the front with a pair of birdies, Nos. 4 and 9, sandwiched around a double on the sixth. On his back nine Jacobson was only 1-over through five holes but struggled down the stretch.

The last Whitman player to tee off made the turn with the best front-nine score, as Eric Wasserman parred his first eight holes before slipping in a bogey on No. 9 for a 1-over 37. Like the others, though, the back nine proved meddlesome as Wasserman wrote in a 47 for a 12-over 84 that puts him in a tie for 31st.

Luc Birchfield (43-42—85, +13) sits tied for 33rd and Will Selman (43-43—86, +14) is tied for 35th to complete Whitman's rounds for the soggy afternoon.

Atop the team leaderboard are Pacific Lutheran University and host Whitworth University, knotted at 11-over 299, two strokes ahead of third-place George Fox University (301, +13).

Whitworth's Keegan Loo (33-38—71, 1-under) is in front on the individual leaderboard, one stroke up on teammate Reilly Hegarty (36-36—72, E).

Play resumes Sunday at 9 a.m. for the completion of the Spring Classic.