March 1, 2016
Tucson, Ariz. - The San José State men's golf team, comprised of one senior, three sophomores and two freshmen, wrapped up the National Invitational Tournament with an 11-over 299 in the final round on Tuesday, finishing in 14th place at 20-over 884.
"We're young, inexperienced and inconsistent but we have got to find a way to get it done," said Spartans head coach John Kennaday on the struggles of his team. "It's not up to our standards."
Kevin Velo had the low round among starters at one-over 73 to finish at two-under 214 for tournament, good for a 16th place tie. It was the second best finish of the season for the Danville, Calif. native, who finished tied for 14th at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational during the fall. The first-year Spartan has now shot the lowest score in two consecutive tournaments.
"We had some bright spots to build on," said Kennaday alluding to Velo's second round when he shot a five-under 67.
Taylor Bromley shot the next best score for the Spartans during the three-day tournament, finishing in three-over 219 placing him tied for 34th after going four-over 76 on the day. It was the senior's best finish in his Spartan career, besting the 36th tie at last month's Amer Ari Intercollegiate.
Sophomore Scott Munger had an up-and-down day with four birdies and six bogeys to shoot two-over 74 for the second consecutive day. For the tournament, Munger was four-over 220, tying him for 37th place.
The best round of the day for the Spartans came from sophomore Matthew Murray, who was playing as an individual, at even-par 72. The junior college transfer from Manchester, England had five birdies and five bogeys for the day. For the three-day tournament, Murray was 15-over 231 to finish in a 69th place tie.
Redshirt freshman, Bradley Keyer, making his starting debut for the Spartans, finished 73rd with sophomore Brett Thawley finishing 80th.
Santa Clara captured the team title leading wire-to-wire at 18-under 846.
Two individuals captured medalist honors, Iowa State's Nick Voke and New Mexico's Gustavo Morantes as they shot 11-under 205.
The Spartans have a quick turnaround as they travel to Oregon for The Bandon Dunes Championship starting this Sunday, March 6.
"It's a whole different ball game up there," said Kennaday, referring to the links course at Bandon Dunes. "We will really need to focus, be energetic and efficient. It's a matter of attitude."
2016 National Invitational Tournament Omni Tucson National, Tucson, Ariz. Par 72, 7,200-yards March 1, 2016 | ||||
TEAM STANDINGS | ||||
POS | SCHOOL | TO PAR | RD1-RD2-RD3-TOTAL | |
1. | Santa Clara | -18 | 278-287-281-846 | |
2. | New Mexico | -12 | 287-285-280-852 | |
T3. | UTEP | -11 | 291-284-278-853 | |
T3. | Wyoming | -11 | 282-291-280-853 | |
5. | Nevada | -8 | 278-292-286-856 | |
6. | Colorado State | -5 | 286-290-283-859 | |
7. | Arizona | E | 285-290-289-864 | |
8. | Iowa State | +3 | 288-285-294-867 | |
9. | UC Davis | +4 | 288-290-290-868 | |
10. | New Mexico State | +7 | 288-289-294-871 | |
11. | Stephen F. Austin | +8 | 290-290-292-872 | |
12. | Utah | +12 | 292-298-286-876 | |
13. | Notre Dame | +13 | 289-295-293-877 | |
14. | San José State | +20 | 292-293-299-884 | |
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS (I) Indicates a player participating as an individual. | ||||
POS | PLAYER, SCHOOL | TO PAR | RD1-RD2-RD3-TOTAL | |
T1. | Nick Voke, Iowa State | -11 | 68-65-72-205 | |
T1. | Gustavo Morantes, New Mexico | -11 | 67-70-68-205 | |
3. | Hayden Shieh, Santa Clara | -10 | 62-72-72-206 | |
4. | Drew McCullough, Wyoming | -9 | 69-72-66-207 | |
T5. | Andrej Bevins, New Mexico | -8 | 72-66-70-208 | |
T5. | Frederik Dreir, UTEP | -8 | 69-67-72-208 | |
SAN JOSÉ STATE RESULTS | ||||
POS | PLAYER | TO PAR | RD1-RD2-RD3-TOTAL | |
T16. | -2 | 74-67-73-214 | ||
T34. | +3 | 70-73-76-219 | ||
T37. | +4 | 72-74-74-220 | ||
T69. | Matthew Murray (I) | +15 | 79-80-72-231 | |
73. | +16 | 76-79-77-232 | ||
79. | +20 | 79-81-76-236 | ||