Corte Madera, Calif.----- Senior Kevin Velo birdied six of the final 10 holes without a bogey lifting San Jose State University to a third place team finish at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational men's golf tournament.
Velo posted a final round five-under par 66 for a 54-total of seven-under par 206 to tie for 10th place. Teammate Sean Yu also finished tied for 10th after a final round 70. Bryce Wortman, who posted a first-round 66, was a third Spartan to place in the top-20 tying for 20th place at 209.
The Spartans finished with an 826 team total, 26-under par and their best score in relation to par since the 2015 Alister MacKenzie Invitational when San Jose State was 27-under par 825. Playing head-to-head in the same foursomes with Arizona State, which finished fourth at 827, the Spartans played the final three holes three-under par compared to Arizona State going one-under as a team.
"Breaking par is fun in its own right and breaking par three rounds in a row means we're getting closer. It was a total team effort is what it was," said San Jose State men's golf coach John Kennaday about finishing third ahead of Arizona State and the top Mountain West school in the 15-team field.
"We've got some depth on this team that we haven't had for a while. At any given moment, any one of them or all of them can shoot under par. We're working on getting all of them under par.
"We're making better decisions. We're sticking to the game plan better and we're playing a better game."
Pepperdine won the team title with a tournament record total of 800. The Waves, second when the final round started, blew past host California, which was second at 811 with a 22-under team score for the final round.
R.J. Manke of Pepperdine took home medalist honors with a tournament record 192 thanks to a final round 10-under par 61. Cal's Collin Morikawa and Sebastian Crampton were second and third, at 196 and 199, respectively.
The Spartans return to action Thursday, October 25, playing in the three-day Visit Stockton Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif.
Final 54-hole scores from the Alister MacKenzie Invitational men's golf tournament
Meadow Club, Corte Madera, Calif.
6,734 yards, par 71
| Team scores | |
| 1. Pepperdine | 800+ |
| 2. California | 811 |
| 3. San Jose State | 826 |
| 4. Arizona State | 827 |
| 5. Santa Clara | 837 |
| 6. Saint Mary's | 838 |
| UC Davis | 838 |
| 8. San Diego State | 841 |
| 9. San Francisco | 842 |
| 10. Long Beach State | 848 |
| 11. Oregon State | 851 |
| 12. Augusta | 860 |
| 13. Fresno State | 862 |
| 14. Hawaii | 864 |
| 15. San Diego | 889 |
| + - tournament record team total | |
| Leading individuals | |
| 1. R.J. Manke, Pepperdine | 65-66-61-192* |
| 2. Collin Morikawa, California | 65-64-67-196 |
| 3. Sebastian Crampton, California | 63-67-69-199 |
| * - tournament record 54-hole score | |
| San Jose State scores | |
| 10. Kevin Velo | 67-73-66-206 |
| 10. Sean Yu | 67-69-70-206 |
| 20. Bryce Wortman | 66-70-73-209 |
| 22. Matt Heitel | 69-68-73-210 |
| 35. Ben Campbell | 72-71-70-213 |
| 77. Nate Jetter (ind.) | 79-70-80-229 |
| Ind - played as an individual entry |