April 15, 2003

Complete Results

MADERA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's golf team concluded play at the 2003 West Coast Conference Championships by firing a final round 303 to claim third place Tuesday afternoon at the Riverbend Golf Club in Madera, Calif. The third place finish was the program's best finish in the league tournament since capturing the conference crown in 1998.

The Broncos were playing in the final grouping after finishing day one in second place, just three strokes behind Pepperdine. Their 303, however, was 14 strokes higher than their second round score, moving SCU back into third place, 20 strokes behind Pepperdine and 15 shots behind second place, San Francisco.

Justin Ahasic carded the best score on Tuesday for Santa Clara, registering his second-straight score of 1-over par, 73, to finish the tournament in a tie for 13th place at 5-over par, 221. Freshman Michael Nicoletti was the top finisher for Santa Clara as his two-day total of 2-over par, 218 was capped off by a final round 78, giving him a share of eighth place.

Matt Klenz posted a final round 75 to conclude the tournament in a tie for 10th place at 3-over par. Blake Lugar registered a 77 on Tuesday, moving his 54-hole total to 6-over par, 222, good enough for a share of 16th. Chris DeMartini rounded out the Bronco scoring with his final round 78, giving him a tournament total of 9-over par, 225, and placing him in a tie for 24th.

For their efforts at the tournament and throughout the year, Nicoletti and Klenz each earned All-WCC Honorable mention honors following the tournament.

Michael Putnam of Pepperdine ran away with the tournament, finishing with a 54-hole score of 13-under par, 203, following his final round 66 on Tuesday. Robert Frye of San Francisco finished second with his 210 total followed by Chaz Inouye of Loyola Marymount who posted a three-round total of 1-under par, 215.

Santa Clara will conclude its 2002-2003 season this weekend at the U.S. Intercollegiate Tournament hosted by Stanford at the Stanford Golf Course. Rounds one and two will be played on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m., followed by Sunday's final round which is also slated for an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

All-West Coast Conference Selections

First Team
Chaz Inouye-Loyola Marymount
Randy Creighton-Pepperdine
Brian O' Flaherty-Pepperdine
Michael Putnam-Pepperdine
Mike McCabe-Portland
Berry Henson-San Diego
Joe Lanza-Saint Mary's
Kris Baptist-San Francsico
Robert Frye-San Francsico

Honorable Mention
Souta Nozaka-Gonzaga
Chris Elliott-Pepperdine
Michael Nicoletti-Santa Clara
Matt Klenz-Santa Clara

Coach of the Year
Robert Gray-Gonzaga

Golfer of the Year (Men's Champion)
Michael Putnam-Pepperdine

Men's Freshman of the Year (Top Finishing Freshman)
Chaz Inouye-Loyola Marymount