Nov. 3, 2006
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara will conclude its fall season next Monday and Tuesday, November 6th and 7th at the CordeValle Collegiate, hosted by UCLA at the CordeValle Country Club in San Martin, Calif.. Over the past few years, the tournament has generated a reputation for being one of the biggest in collegiate golf, playing host to some of the top teams in the nation.
"This tournament definitely has an elite field of players", said Santa Clara head coach Rob Miller. "Some of the best teams in the nation are going to be out there".
In addition to the No. 2 ranked UCLA Bruins, the 2006 CordeValle Collegiate will feature four other Top-10, including Coastal-Carolina University (4th), USC (6th), Lamar (8th), and Stanford (10th).
Two weeks ago, UCLA came to the SCU Invitational, held at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club, and took 2nd place. Also appearing at the CordeValle Collegiate will be Pepperdine, the only other WCC opponent in the field of 17 schools.
This final tournament of the fall season will be Santa Clara's last chance to see some of their freshmen in action as they finalize their squad for the spring. Throughout this fall season, the Broncos have seen strong individual performances in each of their tournaments, but have been hampered by inconsistency as a team.
"It's kind of been like trying to hit a moving target", Miller said. "We've been trying to evaluate the freshmen and start the guys who are playing the best at that time. As we get closer to the spring, we can hopefully put together a group of guys who can go out there week in and week out and perform well for us."
For the CordeValle Collegiate, the Broncos will be featuring two freshmen, Alex Bon and Scott Travers, sophomore Garrett Logan, and team captains Jong Yoon and Eric Lillibridge. Bon and Logan shot 68 in Friday's qualifying round, which was a very encouraging sign as many others were in the mid-70s. Senior Jong Yoon has been a mainstay in the Broncos lineup so far this fall season and Eric Lillibridge is coming off a nice finish at the SCU Invitational. Though among some of the nation's top teams, Miller's squad is optimistic heading into Monday's tee-off.
"The good news is that we've played here a couple of times. now. We're familiar with the course, and the conditions almost as if it were our home course. The guys we have out there are our best right now."
