Men’s Golf In Fifth Place After Day One Of The Farms Collegiate Invitational

Posted: Feb 10, 2014

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – Paced by sophomore Drew Miller's 1-under-par 141, the Santa Clara men's golf team fired two rounds of 295 to place in fifth after day one of The Farms Collegiate Invitational today at the Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe.

The Broncos were consistent on the day with identical round scores of 7-under 295 for a 14-over 590 total, 15 shots behind tournament leader and host San Diego, which shot a 1-under 575 for the day. Duke (578), Kennesaw State (580) and Pacific (589) round out the top five in the 12-team field.

Playing on a course they are all too familiar with, San Diego is the tournament favorite, according to head coach Rob Miller. "San Diego has a huge home field advantage. This is a very tricky course and they play it a lot. We are not going to worry about them too much here. But we can be competitive with them on a neutral course," he noted.

"Where we are is consistent with where we have been," Coach Miller added. "It's better than our start to the fall when we were a bit unsure of what we had."

Drew Miller followed his even-par 72 first round with a 1-under 71 over the second 18 holes to place in a tie for sixth heading into tomorrow's final round. He sits four shots behind leader Grant Forrest of San Diego, who shot a 5-under 139 for the day.

An eagle-3 on the par-5 18th hole was the highlight of Miller's first round and he overcame a double-bogey on his seventh hole of round two to score par on five of his last 10 holes. "It was a good day for Drew to get off to a good start," said Coach Miller. "He's been playing well and it's good for his confidence. It's nice to see him get those scores."

Senior Scott Lowe had a strong start with a 1-under 71 in the first round but bogeyed each of his last three holes in the second round for a score of 5-over 77 over the second 18. He ended the day in a tie for 19th place with a 148 (+4). "Scott played okay but he had a bit of a sour finish," said Coach Miller. "He let it get away."

Tyler Kertson shot rounds of 75 and 76 and Bobby Monaco scored 77 and 74 to both finish in a tie for 35th with a 151 (+7). With rounds of 78 and 74, Gio Gandionco is a stroke behind his teammates with a 152.

"We need to get used to playing 36 holes again, get back in the swing of things again," Coach Miller said. "They didn't play their best but were in the middle of the pack with a chance for a top three finish."

Looking ahead to Tuesday's final round, Coach Miller would like one thing from his team. "We need to get a round where we get three good scores," he said.

The Farms Collegiate Invitational 2nd Round Team Standings

1. San Diego 283-292 = 575 (-1)

2. Duke 281-297 = 578 (+2)

3. Kennesaw State 285-295 = 580 (+4)

4. Pacific 300-289 = 589 (+13)

5. Santa Clara 295-295 = 590 (+14)

6. UC Riverside 299-292 = 591 (+15)

T7. Fresno State 297-297 = 594 (+18)

T7. St. Mary's 299-295 = 594 (+18)

9. Loyola Marymount 298-299 = 597 (+21)

10. UC Santa Barbara 304-299 = 603 (+27)

11. Denver 304-300 = 604 (+28)