April 1, 2003
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's golf team concluded play at the UCSB BITE/Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Tournament Tuesday afternoon by posting a team score of 15-over par, 303, dropping them back five places to finish 11th out of 21 teams in the two-day event.
After posting scores of 284 and 282 on day one of the tournament, the Broncos sat alone in sixth place, trailing Fresno State and UC Irvine by only 10-strokes. Tuesday's final round proved difficult for the youthful Broncos, who played with two freshmen, a sophomore and two juniors in the tournament. Fresno State captured the team title with a 286 on Tuesday, finishing two-shots ahead of UC Irvine and 28 ahead of SCU at 23-under par.
As a team the Broncos did finish ahead of the other three West Coast Conference schools participating in the tournament, besting Saint Mary's by five strokes, San Francisco by 10 and San Diego by 20. They also topped cross-town rival San Jose State by seven shots in the tournament.
Junior Justin Ahasic not only fired the team's low round of the day, but was the top finisher for the Broncos in the tournament, firing a final round 74 to conclude the tournament in a tie for 24th place with a three-round total of even-par, 216. Freshman Blake Lugar was the next highest finisher for SCU, claiming a tie for 38th place with his 2-over par total of 218 after a final round 78.
Sophomore Matt Klenz and junior Chris DeMartini each fired final round scores of 5-over par, 77, to conclude the two-day event in a tie for 47th at 219. Freshman Michael Nicoletti rounded out the Bronco scoring with his final round 75, giving him a three-round total of 9-over par, 225, and finishing him in a tie for 80th.
Fresno State's Nick Watney took home Medalist honors after a final round 68 gave him a three-round total of 17-under par, 199, nine shots better than Mike Lavery of UC Irvine and Brendan Steele of UC Riverside.
Santa Clara returns to action next weekend at the prestigious Western Intercollegiate hosted by San Jose State. The two-day, 54-hole event will be held on Monday and Tuesday, April 7-8 at the Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, Calif. It will be the final tune-up for the Broncos before the WCC Championships are held in Fresno on April 14-15.
