
FRESNO, Calif. – After a strong first round score of 292, the Santa Clara men's golf team battled gusty winds over the second 18 holes at the San Joaquin Country Club and carded a 306 to end the first day of the Fresno Classic in eighth place.
With their 598 total score the Broncos are just one shot behind seventh place Sacramento State and two shots behind Cal Poly and UTEP, who are tied for fifth. Nevada leads the pack with a 584, two shots better than UC Santa Barbara and San Francisco, and 14 strokes ahead of the Broncos.
Five teams were at or above 300 in the first round and that number doubled in the second round because of the conditions. "It was nice in the morning, but the wind really picked up in the afternoon," said head coach Rob Miller. "We have a lot of high ball hitters on our team and the wind really affected us. We need to work on our wind game."
Playing as an individual in his first career collegiate tournament, freshman Dan Hrynezuk returned to his hometown and shot a 4-over 146 to tie for sixth place after two rounds, six strokes behind leader Camden Price of Cal Poly. Hrynezuk shot a first round 1-over 72 and was at 3-over 74 in the second round.
Senior Scott Lowe and sophomore Gio Gandionco were the top team finishers placing in a tie for 13th at 148. Gandionco scored rounds of 73 and 75 while Lowe shot 72 and 76. "Gio was solid again for us. He played well," said Miller. "Scott had a rough start to the second round, but he was able to bounce back and played well also."
Freshman Tyler Kertson registered the only sub-par round of the day for the Broncos with a first round 1-under 70 carding four birdies. His second round 80 leaves him in a tie for 24th place with six other competitors at 150 (+8).
Final round action begins at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday with foursomes teeing off from the first and 10th holes. The Broncos will be in the first grouping on the first hole with players from Cal Poly, UTEP and Sacramento State.
"We have to play better tomorrow," said Miller. "Nobody's running away with it, we just need to play the way we know we can."
Fresno State Classic 2nd Round Top 10
1. Nevada 290-294 = 584 (+16)
T2. UC Santa Barbara 288-298 = 586 (+18)
T2. San Francisco 290-296 = 586 (+18)
4. Brigham Young 300-292 = 592 (+24)
T5. Cal Poly 293-303 = 596 (+28)
T5. Texas El Paso 295-301 = 596 (+28)
7. Sacramento State 297-300 = 597 (+29)
8. Santa Clara 292-306 = 598 (+30)
9. Loyola Marymount 298-305 = 603 (+35)
10. Grand Canyon 306-300 = 606 (+38)
Santa Clara 2nd Round Individual Results
T13. Scott Lowe 72-76 = 148 (+6)
T13. Gio Gandionco 73-75 = 148 (+6)
T24. Tyler Kertson 70-80 = 150 (+8)
T45. Drew Miller 79-75 = 154 (+12)
T69. Bobby Monaco 77-82 = 159 (+17)
T81. Evan McLeod 82-80 = 162 (+20)
*Playing as individuals
T6. Dan Hrynezuk* 72-74 = 146 (+4)
T69. Michael Hultquist* 78-81 = 159 (+17)
T84. Carlos Briones* 81-83 = 164 (+22)
92. Dane Casaga* 87-84 = 171 (+29)